


AmeCan Ice Creamery

by Ashynarr



Category: 2P Hetalia - Fandom, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: All prompts open for adoption, Closed due to lack of interest, Drabble Collection, Find Your Favorites!, Multi, Ship Names Are Ice Cream Flavors, but still adoptable if anyone is interested, just ask first!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 77
Words: 78,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3342515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashynarr/pseuds/Ashynarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since I know I have followers who do like AmeCan and those who don't, I've decided that the best solution is to make a new drabble archive to hold all my specifically shippy stuff. AmeCan, Canadacest, and Americacest all included in here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Another Meeting (Vanilla)

**Author's Note:**

> Character (Human) Names:  
> 1pAme = Alfred F. Jones 1pCan = Matthew Williams  
> 1pNyoAme = Eleanor Johnson 1pNyoCan = Emily Walkins  
> 2pAme = Thomas Smith 2pCan = Alexander Sutters  
> 2pNyoAme = Abigail Sutters 2pNyoCan = Marie Delacroix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from the Kink Meme: The BTT all raised children. None of whom turned out to be anything like their caretaker. (nature over nurture.)
> 
> How about we watch the world burn and see what would have happened if Canada, Germany and Romano turned out /exactly/ like the BTT who raised them.
> 
> Posted April 11 2013.

Another meeting, another few hours of a depressingly familiar routine while the Nations attempted to solve some of the world's problems.

Attempt being the key term.

Arthur hated them with a passion, especially because as the most responsible one there it always came down to him to try and get things to stay on track. At first it generally worked, and some things got done. Then something annoying would happen, and everything would go downhill from there.

Today was starting a bit earlier than usual, it seemed. One of the corner of his eye he watch as Mathieu (as the younger frog stubbornly insisted on being called) completely ignored his speech in favor of speaking to Alfred, though about what he could only dread. Maybe he could still salvage this?

"Alfred! Matthew! Pay attention when others are speaking!"

Mathieu barely turned to face him, giving the Brit an eyeroll before whispering one last thing to his American neighbor and settling back into his seat. Whatever he'd said, Alfred was now red as a beet and deliberately not looking at the Canadian.

Frogs. Ulgh.

A burst of laughter emerged from another part of the room. "Gott, Matt, what'd you tell him to make him that red – what you're doing to him tonight?"

Arthur resisted the urge to slam his head into the podium. This meeting had been lost the second Ludwig had opened his mouth, and now no one was going to accomplish anything. It'd been going so well, too (or so he liked to tell himself anyway.)

"He looks like a tomato~" Lovino chuckled beside the German, earning an agreeing statement from Antonio.

Mathieu chuckled. "Nothing nearly so crude. Besides, he can figure it out just fine on his own~"

"Mattieeeeeeeeeee-" Alfred whined, even heavier blush on his face than before. Several other Nations laughed, enjoying seeing the superpower flustered by his neighbor Nation's efforts yet again. The Canadian turned back to him, leaning over to cup the American's face in his hands.

"Oh, mon lapin, you know I just enjoy expressing my love for you; is that so bad?"

Alfred mumbled something Arthur couldn't hear but made Mathieu beam. The Canadian gave him a short pat on the cheek before turning back to the podium, the picture of innocence. Lord, why had his little brother willingly gotten involved with a frog? Arthur was certain he'd taught his former colony better than that! A cough that mysteriously sounded like "whipped" came from the German's direction, and the Italian brothers frowned at him.

"Ve~ Ludwig, that's not nice." Feliciano told him.

Lovino nodded in agreement. "You should be happy for them~ They're so cute together!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Ludwig grumbled. Lovino looked at him for a moment, then grinned widely.

"Aw~ is Ludwig jealous?"

The German scoffed. "Me? Please, I'm too awesome to get stuck in a dumb relationship."

Mathieu's eyes glinted in amusement as he leaned forward, stage-whispering to Lovino, "He is; I read it in his diary."

"It's a blog, not a diary!"

Dead silence, as the other Nations glanced between each other, trying hard not to burst into laughter at that admission. Arthur's head came to rest in his hands slowly. Mathieu just smiled winningly.

"Of course; all the better to express yourself with, oui?"

The room filled with laughter. Arthur resisted the urge to just let his head hit the podium and pray to be knocked out for the remainder of the meeting. He really hadn't signed up for this nonsense.

(...Why hadn't any of his colonies turned out like him? He felt a bit miffed at that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually reposted from my NAH collection on ffnet, but as it's AmeCan focused it better belongs here. My first fic with French!Mattie, and the earliest discovery of my absolute love of the concept, which would two years later become The French Canadian Way. Ah, how time flies.


	2. An All-American Prize (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Also has implied UK->US; Human / Supernatural AU
> 
> Personal Idea: Alfred is a young college student working on his (insert science-y degree here). But, unbeknownst to him, two very 'special' people have developed a crush on our favorite American: Matthew, a high-ranked demon, and Arthur, one of the older of the angelic order. The two compete with each other over his affections, trying their best to keep it out of his sight, while also keeping their true natures a secret from him.
> 
> [For extra fun I'm considering also tossing Kiku in as a third competitor instead of just as Alfred's BFF, with him being a dragon. …and maybe with it all ending with them finding out Alfred's been seeing (insert other, normal person, preferably female) while the others were distracted by each other.]
> 
> Why they're all fighting over him I have not a clue in the world, but hey, everyone just needs a little all-American meat in their life, am I right? ;)

Matthew sighed, his gaze settled not on the dullard of a professor up at the front of the class but instead the gorgeous young example of an all-American boy seated right in front of him, who was focused intently on what the old fart had to say. He once again resisted the urge to just reach out and run a finger down that delicious tanned skin (and had he been working out again, because he was definitely seeing a bit more definition along his arms), not because it would cause a scene (which he honestly could care less about), nor because it would make the boy flush in a very interesting and delectable manner, but because of both the fact that that would set him back in his goal of wooing the boy and because of the green gaze all but slicing through him with as much heat as the flaming blade the possessor of said eyes liked to wield sometimes.

He sighed again, this one much less pleased than the first. Damn that Arthur and his interference - Matthew had long staked his claim on the delicious pure soul before him and had gone to a lot of effort to fight off all the other would-be suitors in hell since they'd first really become aware of this particular human.

(Tommy and Ivan had been particularly difficult, seeing as both were stubborn bastards who didn't know when to give up.

Matthew graciously ignored the fact that he was just the same in this matter.)

But no, just when his victory had been all but assured, what did heaven do but churn out their own competitor in the form of one of the more powerful and experienced of their retinue to block him every step of the way. He would damn them all if it weren't for the fact that he would then have to deal with them in hell.

"Mattie, you okay?"

His train of thought shifted gears instantly, all boredom and annoyance on his face replaced with a soft happy smile upon realizing Alfred had turned around to speak with him, forehead creased ever-so-lightly in concern (for him! take that, you feathery old bastard!).

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied softly, faint Canadian accent he'd picked up somewhere along the way rolling off his lips in a way much unlike his usual gruff, insulting manner.

(Alfred had called it 'cute' once. He'd scoffed at the perceived insult - he wasn't cute by any stretch of the imagination! - but afterwords always made sure to use that accent while speaking.)

Alfred grinned a bit, glancing meaningfully back at the professor before rolling his eyes, indication that despite his focus he too had been getting rather bored with the man's long-windedness. "He's talking way too much today. Probably trying to melt our brains before break so we have to spend it recovering instead."

Matthew chuckled a bit at that. Alfred went on, the laughter in his eyes belaying the serious expression on his face. "It's all part of his race's plot to brainwash us all into being part of their big alien hive overmind. Once they've melted everyone's brains there'll be nothing stopping them from taking over the world and making us do all their dirty work."

The Canadian couldn't hold back the short burst of laughter, although he managed to keep it quiet enough that the professor didn't stop mid-lecture to glare at them. "Where do you come up with all of this stuff?"

"Who says I'm making it up?"

Before the teasing banter could continue, a well-aimed eraser collided with the side of Alfred's head, making him wince and rubbing the injured spot while glancing over to the source of the missile. Matthew looked as well, frowning and sending a glare almost as sharp as Arthur's while the Briton hissed at them to pay attention. The American pouted and turned back to the professor, while Matthew's glare intensified at the angel's smug and way-too-satisfied grin.

Eventually he turned back to the professor as well, mood ruined by the interruption just when he'd been making good progress. Curse that angel!

Matthew consoled himself with the knowledge that in the end he'd win despite the numerous setbacks, and have the bonus of being able to relentlessly taunt the feathered bastard after the fact. In the meantime he'd satisfy himself with tracing the contours of his tasty prize with his eyes and imagining what it'd be like once said prize was under his wings (and body, can't forget that).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of many many reposts I did from tumblr back in the day. This was back when I wasn't so great with human AUs, but I like to think nowadays I am much better with them than I was (though I still have a fond affection for Nationverse above all others). 
> 
> Hey, maybe one day I'll even actually write this out in a fullish fic or something. Maybe. IDK.


	3. I'll Win Him Over Yet! (Red Velvet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self Quote: "I swear one of these days I'll write a story where 2p Alex meets 1p Matthew and almost instantly falls for him. So of course he hits on Mattie who's all innocent smiles and friendliness... until he punches Alex in the face, tells him to fuck off, and leaves.
> 
> Meanwhile Alfred and Tommy laugh at Alex's shocked expression.
> 
> And then you have this whole quest on Alex's part to get Mattie to like him while the Americans just enjoy the show. And fuck you can even have them fuck buddies already because that would just further mock Matt."
> 
> Posted April 17 2013
> 
> Also contains a side helping of 1p2pAme (Fudge Ripple)

The first time Alex saw him, he couldn't describe the feeling.

He had just been walking down the street, ignoring the annoying chatter of his brother, when the other came into view. Everything else seemed to go out of focus as he drank in every detail. Soft, well maintained blond locks framing a face carved by angels. A smaller - but not feminine, definitely not - frame that seemed to roll enticingly with every step he took. And those eyes - Alex wasn't one for poetry like his idiot of a brother, but it would be a crime to describe those gorgeous violet eyes in any other fashion.

"Like what you see?" Tommy asked, snapping him out of his single-tracked thoughts. Alex glared at the other, who simply continued to grin in that ' _I know something you don't_ ' fashion that in any other situation would have earned him a punch in the face.

"None of your business." The Canadian ground out, shoving his hands in his pockets and pretending he hadn't just spent an abnormal amount of time staring at the beauty just down the street.

Tommy, however, was undeterred. "So you  _do_ like him! Innit that cute? You goin' soft on me now, Alex?"

"Shut up!"

"No worries, bro, I've got this." The American continued, smug grin never leaving his face even as he turned in their direction. " 'EY, PORKCHOP!"

The person walking next to the angel, whom Alex hadn't noticed until just then, stopped and turned to look at them, grinning and waving back. "Hey!"

And then they were coming over, this 'Porkchop' all but dragging the gorgeous young man with him. Tommy and the other fist bumped each other, before the blond turned to him.

"Who's this with you?" He asked, all bright eyed and very much American like his brother.

"This is Alex; told ya about him already, remember?" Tommy told him, grin softened - what? Softened? Tommy? - into a smile.

"Seriously?" The blond American looked him over. "Jeeze, he looks nothing like Mattie at all!"

"Alfred…" The young violet-eyed man warned. "Who are these?"

"Oh, right, this is Tommy, and that's Alex. Remember when I told you about the counterparts thing?"

"I thought that was a game you were talking about…"

As the two talked, Alex took in the information presented. Apparently his brother had been hiding a few things from him, like the existence of these counterparts or whatever. It would have been nice to know he had one that was this, what was the word he wanted? Ah, right,  _cute_ _._

"Mattie…" He liked the sound of that.

"Yes?" Oops, he hadn't meant to say that out loud. But that violet gaze was on him, all innocent curiosity.

Alex lightly coughed into his hand, suddenly self-conscious. "I, uh, was wondering if you might be up for a movie later, or something like that…"

"…I'm not sure… we did just meet, after all…" Mattie looked doubtful, so Matt went in for the (metaphorical) kill.

"Aw, c'mon chickadee, just one? For me?"

What he had expected was a shy smile, maybe a bit of nervousness before accepting.

What he  _hadn't_ expected was the rather impressive right hook to his jaw.

He blinked stars out of his eyes even as he pushed himself up from the sidewalk, snapping back into focus to glare at the guffawing Americans. Mattie stood over him, glaring at him with fists and jaw clenched.

" _Don't - call - me - petnames!_ " The other Canadian growled out, all righteous fury that should not have turned Alex on as much as it did.

Alex wiped at the corner of his mouth and watched as Mattie strode away, his brother congratulating him even as they disappeared down the street.

Tommy eventually stopped chuckling, silent for a moment. "I know that look; you aren't givin' up, are ya?"

"Not a chance." Matt was well and determined to make the other Canadian his; it was a matter of pride at this point (along with other things he didn't feel like admitting to at the moment).

"It won't be easy; you've gone and pissed him off, and from what porkchop tells me he can hold a grudge even longer than you."

Alex grinned sharply. "Good, I like a challenge."

~0~0~

A week after their first meeting, Matthew returned home tired and frustrated, only to see an unwelcome face fighting off his polar bear.

"Nanuq, down! You, what are you doing in my house?"

Matt (or at least that's what he remembered the other's name being) turned to look at him, whacking the bear one last time to finally make him let go. "Hey there. I was just waiting for you, then this guy got it into his head to use me as a chew toy."

"He's supposed to do that to intruders." Matthew found himself growing more annoyed with the other man. "How did you even get into my house?"

"Back door. It was unlocked."

The slightly smaller Canadian frowned at that. He knew perfectly well that that door had not been unlocked when he'd left this morning, and had the sneaking suspicion the other man had had something to do with it being 'unlocked'.

"Uh huh. Why are you here?"

Alex actually managed to look a bit sheepish. "I, ah, wanted to apologize for last time. Didn't realize you didn't like pet names. I won't do it again, promise."

Well. That was… more than he'd expected from the guy. Maybe he wasn't so bad as his first impression showed. "And you broke into my house just for that?"

He looked surprised for a second, but hid it behind a wry smile. "Nah. I was thinking, since we got off on the wrong foot, maybe we could try again?" He held out a hand. "Alex Danson."

Matthew took the hand, shaking with a small smile. "Matthew Williams. Nanuq, no-"

The bear, growing frustrated with the newcomer, had been ready to start dragging the other Canadian away. However, his owner's reprimand had him sulking as he wandered off to another room.

"How'd you manage to get a polar bear as a pet?" Alex asked, looking after the bear.

Matthew shrugged. "I've always had him, ever since I was a kid. He's lazy most of time, but as you've probably noticed he can be pretty protective of what he thinks is his, including me."

"Huh." He shook his head, turning back to him. "Anyway, did you want to hang out sometime? Not a date or anything, but just a chance to get to know each other."

Hmm… should he? Then again, Alfred seemed to enjoy hanging out with his counterpart… maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Other than the fact that he broke in. And annoyed his bear.

Yeah, probably best to be a bit wary for a while.

"Alright, that sounds good. But  _try_  not to break in next time?"

"Scout's honor."

Why did he get the feeling that wasn't the end of the matter?

~0~0~

There were several things in life that no one wanted to stumble upon by accident. Poisonous creatures, for example, or the secret hideout of a bloodthirsty, merciless gang.

Walking in on your brother making out with his counterpart had to take the cake, though.

"Oh, Mattie, didn't hear you come in!" Alfred told his twin, lips still swollen and damp from where the other had been nipping and pulling at them.

"Enjoyin' the show?" Fred asked, smugly grinning. Matthew could now somewhat sympathize with his own counterpart's desire to smack that grin off his face (although apparently that was ineffective as the dark-skinned American was a bit of a masochist).

The Canadian groaned, covering his face with a hand. "I really didn't need to see that, thanks." A question came to mind about then. "Why didn't I know you two were…"

"Dating?" "Fucking?" Two voices replied at once. Alfred gave the other American a glare, whacking him lightly in the head - " 'ey!" - before turning back to his northern brother. "We've been together for a while now. Didn't mean to hide it or anything, but it just never came up, ya know?"

Matthew nodded slowly, although he still felt a bit hurt his own brother hadn't mentioned being in a relationship with someone. The blond American got up from the couch to give his twin a hug.

"I really am sorry, Mattie. It just sort of happened after a while and I didn't think about saying anything."

"It's fine, really." The Canadian assured. "I'm just, well, surprised. He just really doesn't seem… well…"

"Like the type to stick to a relationship?" Alfred chuckled in amusement. "I thought the same thing, but under all his cockiness-" They dutifully ignored Tommy's injection of 'all seven inches of it!' from the couch "he's actually  _really_ romantic and sweet. Poetry, chocolates, love songs, the whole shebang. And he really is loyal, too."

A groan came from the still seated American. "Aw, c'mon porkchop, yer ruining my tough guy image here!" Now that he was really listening though, Matthew could hear the undertones of teasing affection in the words.

Maybe these counterparts weren't as bad as they appeared after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These were written a while ago, back when I liked Canadacest as portrayed by the general fandom. It's still an okay pairing, it's just... all the stories are the same and the characters just feel a bit off in them. And on tumblr it seems like every 2p Canada is required to fall for a 1p Canada, and just... could we maybe have something different?
> 
> Of course, now I just write them my own way, so I've redeveloped my soft spot for the ship, especially the fem!1p2p variant. I guess that's just how things roll with me.


	4. Counterpart (Fudge Ripple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My idea here was basically – what if we took a look at the 1p2pcest trend from the POV of someone in love, not with their counterpart, but with another Nation who has fallen for their counterpart.
> 
> And then of course I couldn't pass it up with AmeCan at hand.
> 
> Background pair of 1p2pCan (Red Velvet)
> 
> Posted April 17 2013

At first Alfred hadn't minded too much when their - counterparts? mirror selves? - had shown up one day. He'd been rather curious about their world, of course, and was shocked to hear about how bad it had been on their side.

However, what set him on edge to no end was what followed.

When it had just been one or two Nations, there was no reason to be worried. But one after the next, each of his friends and their counterparts somehow ended up together, and it was easy to see the trend. Even then, he hadn't cared too much…

Except that Mattie - his twin brother and the one love of his life - had fallen for  ** _him_**.

Alex.

His own goddamned counterpart.

Alfred played nice, even if he didn't really want to. If there was one thing he disliked more then Alex, it was making Mattie upset. Just imagining that disappointed face was enough to make him suck it up and plaster on a realistic enough smile whenever he had to interact with that (entirely too smug) bastard.

He couldn't get that knot of  _jealousyhatredangershamehurt_ out of his gut no matter what he did, and he didn't know what to do about it anymore. Thoughts would swirl through his mind constantly, haunting all his waking (and sleeping) hours -  _Why him? What does he have that I don't?_

_Why couldn't it be me?_

"Well well, what do we have here? Sulking again blondie?"

And there was his other problem. His own counterpart, or 'Tommy' as he preferred, apparently wasn't getting the hint that Al just simply wasn't interested. If that weren't enough, the two tended to not get along too often because of their conflicting –  _matching,_ Arthur would cough – personalities.

" 'ey shithead, pay attention to me." Tommy complained, giving the blond a light whack to the head.

"I would if you weren't such a jerk all the time." Al snapped out, giving a halfhearted glare at the brunet.

"Takes one to know one."

"Ass."

"You coming down for dinner or what?"

Alfred scrunched his nose. "Not if its another one of your weird vegan experiments."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Nah, just a casserole. I figured since you've spent all day up in here sulking you'd want something filling."

" 'm not hungry." Al mumbled out, already turning back to his silent unfocused staring out the window.

However, it was not to be. Before he'd fully turned away, a heavy hand smashed palm-first into his head, sending him sprawling on the floor.

"Alright, enough is enough. I've had it with you and your pathetic moping around." The red-eyed American growled out, pulling the still-dazed form up by his collar so they were practically face to face. "You think I don't know what's going through your head right now? Fuck it Al, we're the same person!"

"No we're not." The blond choked out, leveling a glare at his counterpart.

"Yes, we are. I bet I can even tell you exactly what you're thinking about. You-" he prodded the other with a finger. "-are thinking about Matthew."

The blue-eyed American didn't say anything, but the ache came back all the same. Tommy continued.

"You're asking yourself why he fell for that other guy. What  _he_ has that you don't. Where you went wrong. Why it couldn't be you."

Each accurate accusation twisted the knife deeper. "Shut up!"

"Oh?" A mocking expression crossed the brunet's face. "You don't like me spitting your own thoughts back at you, do you? Have you ever considered that maybe you're not the only one who's asked himself those questions?"

It took a minute, but when it registered, Al could feel his jaw drop and eyes widen.

"Yeah, that's right, we're more alike than you think. The only difference is that I've accepted what you can't -

" _He will never love you the way you want him to_."

Alfred gave out a choked sob. "All I wanted was a chance-"

"Tough shit." Tommy was unsympathetic. "Don't you get it? Neither of us ever stood a chance. We weren't what they wanted or what they needed. And now that they have each other, where does that leave us?"

The blond didn't answer, trying and failing to hold back tears. The red-eyed boy asked again "Where does that leave  _us_ , Alfred?"

"Alone." Al choked out. "Tommy, I-" He couldn't continue, instead embracing the other American tightly. "I hate him so much but I love him and I can't-"

"Shh." The brunet said, slowly returning the embrace. "Just shut up and listen to me for once. You can't just sit there and let them win. That's what they want - to see us broken and helpless without them."

The red-eyed boy pulled back, tilting his counterpart's head slightly to face him. His expression was soft now, but with an underlying firmness. "But we're stronger than that. We don't need them to define who we are, because they aren't important anymore.

"The only thing we need is each other." Tommy told Al with a grin. "You and me, we'll go places. But only if you stop trying to drown yourself in stupid questions you'll never get answers to." With that he pressed in, forcing their lips together.

It was a battle of teeth, tongue and lips. The two pushed back and forth, each trying to make the other back down, even though they both knew that would never happen. There was no real love or passion behind it, but at the same time it was an ache they _had_ to fulfill or risk madness.

Alfred was pushed back into the chair, Tommy immediately claiming his lap. They only broke apart long enough to catch their breath before returning to the fight. Time seemed to lose meaning as they grew more forceful, grasping at each other and angling so they could go farther.

Any thoughts of Matthew fled from the blue-eyed American's mind as that tongue ring of his counterpart's gave him some very interesting textures to explore. By the time they finally finished, pulling apart with heavy breaths and gazes partially hazed with lust, the only thing he could see was the person in front of him, who slip off his lap with practiced ease.

"C'mon douchebag, the casserole's probably cold by now, no thanks to you." Tommy casually threw out while nonchalantly making his way out of the room.

With a burst of laughter, Alfred followed, part of that know in his gut unwound at last.

"You'd better have made enough, 'cause I'm starving!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorta odd to have a Red Velvet with background Fudge Ripple one chapter, then the opposite the next. I suppose it all balances out in the end, if you think about it that way.


	5. Needs & Wants (Multiple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Personal Prompts: Just a few random drabbles involving the 2p characters.
> 
> [Posted April 17 2013]
> 
> Ships: Neapolitan, Vanilla, and Fudge Ripple

Needs:

Tommy caught a brief glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye. At first he couldn't believe it; after all, his Alex was happy back on the other side of the gate without him, and he knew this world's Canada was elsewhere right now. It was probably just his still strong feelings for the other making him imagine that somehow Alex had decided to come through as well (maybe even for  _him_ , a small, ever-hopeful part of his mind whispered.)

But it was ridiculous, and he knew it – Alex had told him to go away and never come back, so that was what he did. Heck, he even went to another universe in order to satisfy him. Of course, he knew at some point he would have to go back, but that was in the future, so he had time to let his Canada cool down somewhat. What possible reason would Alex have for coming over to this side anyway? So he pushed it out of his mind and kept walking back towards his house.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly, just enough to make him uncomfortable but not quite painful. Only one person had a grip like that -

He was twirled around, and locked eyes with a furious violet gaze belonging to his brother. His mind fought to process this – Why? When? How long?

A fist connected with his cheek, and he rolled with it, used to this treatment from the northern Nation. Tommy spit to the side – no blood, Alex had held back this time – before giving the other a cheeky grin. " 'ey there, Alex."

Another hit, a bit harder this time. "Don't you fucking 'Hey there' me, you asshole." Alex growled out, tightening his grip on Tommy's shirt, dragging him forward so he was face to face with the Canadian. "What the fuck were you thinking just leaving without a word?"

Tommy shrugged. "You were the one who told me to leave."

"Idiot!" Another hit; when the American's gaze once again returned to the other's face, he was surprised to see the raw hurt in the other's eyes. "I didn't mean entirely! Do you even know how fucking long I spent looking for you before I found out you had gone through Oliver's goddamned gate?" Not giving his brother a chance to answer, the Canadian went on. "Months. I searched every last fucking inch of your land looking for you, and you. Weren't. There."

"…why do you care?" It came out before Tommy could stop it, but it was a rather valid question – his brother had never really shown this level of concern about him before now, so he was trying to figure out why the change had come about.

"I  _missed_ you, you idiot." It was blunt and to the point – one of the many things Tommy liked about him – and it completely threw the American off balance. "Sure, you piss me off all the time, and you can't even imagine how many times I wish you'd get some fucking sense knocked into you. But you're the one goddamned constant in my life, the one person I can count on to watch my back, and I  _need_ that – I  _need_   _you_."

With that, he forced their lips together, Tommy quickly allowing access to Alex's probing tongue. A good part of him was still shocked by this development, but he was quickly changing gears, making the best of what might possibly be a one time shot at what he wanted. Their teeth clashed together, each fighting for dominance.

Eventually they reached an impasse, force to part as their lungs screamed for air. Alfred knew there was a huge grin on his face – he could feel it stretching across his face, almost hurting (but in a good way). His persistence had in fact payed off after all, even if this was only a one time deal. "What, is that all you got? I'm shocked, Lexie."

Alex growled again, pulling his brother in for another kiss. This time Tommy relented after a bit, allowing himself to be dominated and fully enjoying the moment. Right there, at that instant, he had everything he wanted, and he'd be damned if he was gonna waste it overthinking this development.

~0~0~

Wants:

Matthew shifted slightly in his seat again as Tommy (as this counterpart insisted on being called) casually ghosted his hand across Al's leg. His smile was still in place, but anyone who knew the Canadian would easily recognize the possessive glint entering his eyes.

He was  _not happy_ _._

Alfred knocked the hand away while glaring at his counterpart, who grinned back, unphased. Groaning, the blond American stood up, claiming he needed to use the restroom while quickly vacating the area.

Matthew twirled on Tommy the second the other was gone, smile gone. "Stay away from my brother if you know what's good for you."

The American laughed. "Or what? I doubt you can hit anywhere near as hard as Alex, and besides-" He licked his lips. "-those porkchop thighs are just too tasty to pass up."

The Canadian grit his teeth. "He's mine, so back.  _Off_ _._ " The last word was punctuated with a jab of his finger into the other's thin stomach, before it was grabbed by the brunet.

"I don't see any sign on him claimin' he's yours, sweet cheeks. In fact, I bet you haven't even made a move on him yet, and that mean's he's open game."

Oh, how Matthew wanted to knock this asshole and his infuriatingly smug smirk for a loop. "We have a shared past together; I've always been there for him even through hell, and I'll be damned if I let some lookalike take him from me."

"Cute, but does any of that matter if I get to him first?" He leaned close. "Porkchop seems like the type who likes someone man enough to go for what they want-"

Needless to say, when Alfred returned, he had to hold the two apart to keep them from doing any more damage to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They didn't fit anywhere else, and they were too short to have their own chapters. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.


	6. Blood Ties Drabbles (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically a collection of drabbles I wrote for my plot bunny 'Blood Ties', which features vamp!Mattie and some AmeCan.
> 
> Posted April 17 2013

It was a mistake on their part. Canada had been feeling the haze for more than an hour when the meeting let out for lunch. America had noticed, and made excuses to linger until the last Nation left before he turned to his brother. "You put it off again, Matt."

The northern Nation sighed. "I was bogged down with work and didn't have time to come down."

America just sighed, pulling off his jacket and the shirt under it. "You've got to stop doing this to yourself, Mattie. What happens if the others find out one of these days because you snap and take me while they're nearby?"

"Don't be ridiculous..." Canada murmured, settling into his brother's lap. "I have enough control for that, at least."

"Mmm..." The superpower hummed, not even wincing when the fangs entered his neck. Instead he held his twin close, letting his eyes close as the now-familiar tingling sensations went through his body.

They heard the door slam open even as the voices carried on. "I told you to stop following me! I only came back for some documents!"

"Ah, but then we could not enjoy lunch together, Angleterre! You always seem to sneak off to some dreadful little place if I take my eyes off of you for even the tiniest moment!"

"Bugger off, fro-"

Canada had frozen, and America, without opening his eyes, told his twin "Matt, you need to finish or you'll be off for the rest of the day."

Reluctantly, the northern Nation finished, apologetically kissing the wound before hiding his face in the superpower's shoulder. "I'm sorry..."

"Shh, nothing to be sorry about. It would've happened eventually..." A hand trailed through his hair.

"...what's happening? Why-"

"It's not his fault. This started a long time ago, and we've gotten used to it." America said, staring at their former caretakers.

France's rose had fallen to the ground, his limp fingers failing to hold onto it. "Mon dieu... why didn't you tell us?"

A snort. "That he'd somehow become part vampire? When you guys in Europe were hunting down anything with even the slightest whiff of the supernatural in it? We weren't dumb - we knew we had to keep it between us. Later on, we just never really felt the need to. It wasn't your business."

"Well it is now! What if something happened and he had to...  _feed_  on one of us?"

"That wouldn't happen." Canada's head rose to stare wearily at the two older Nations. "I don't  _want_  anyone else - I don't  _need_  anyone else." His nose wrinkled. "To be honest, I wouldn't drink from any of you even if I wasn't already inclined to Al's blood. I don't even want to think about what you guys have crawling around in your veins after so many centuries."

America chuckled. "You know they're just worried, Matt. You know as well as I do that you won't attack anyone."

Something seemed to occur to France. "But I've seen you eat regular food many times..."

"I'm only part vampire. I need normal food like the rest of you - the blood is just a kind of... supplement, I guess?"

"Ahh..." There seemed to be nothing else to say.

Canada stood up, allowing the superpower to stand up and stretch his legs. "C'mon, I think we still have time to grab something before lunch is over."

The two were almost to the door when England grabbed each of them by a shoulder. "You are aware that you'll have to tell everyone about this, correct?"

The twins frowned, glancing at each other. Canada sighed. "Alright... I guess it was about time to do it anyway..."

"It's your secret, bro. Do what you have to."

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

He wasn't sure exactly when it started - sometime after his brother had won his freedom - but after America's visits Canada was finding it harder and harder to compensate with his usual tide-over meals. As he skinned the rabbit he'd just drained for cooking later, he found that while he was full, he wasn't... satisfied.

It just didn't taste the same anymore. Not that blood really had tastes in the usual sense, but before where it had been a rather pleasant taste, now it was... bland. His thoughts idly drifted back to his brother, whose blood anyways seemed to taste sweeter, more delectable every time he tasted it. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts, but they always lingered.

It wasn't right or comfortable to think of his twin, his brother in this way even after so many years, but... he missed him. When they lived together, the lonely months or years between England's visits went by without any fuss or worry. Now, however, the new house was empty, even with servants in the house. He hated the empty bed, he hated the quiet during the day, he hated it all. He wondered, once, whether he should have gone with America.

But that would have killed him. He didn't think of it after that.

It was 1812.

~0~0~

At first he barely noticed it, but soon the inferno had spread across his chest, leaving him sobbing and hacking as smoke formed and escaped his battered lungs. He barely noticed the approaching footsteps until he heard the door open, and a sharp intake of breath. "Mattie..."

He moved away, aware on some unconscious level that this burning was America's fault. "Why? What did I do?"

The young Nation stepped towards him, brushing hair away from his tear-stained face even as the colony flinched away. "This isn't about you; it's about England not respecting my neutrality... I didn't mean for it to go this far..."

The fear was being replaced with something - a rage, a desire for revenge. "Then why didn't you stop it? They're your people - you could have made them back off!"

"I stopped them from barricading the river." That stopped Canada cold. If the river was cut off, he would -

"I don't want you dead, and I wish I hadn't done this to you..." America slowly pulled off his coat and the undershirt, exposing his upper body and, more importantly, his neck. "I know I haven't come by in a while, and I probably won't again after this..."

That was not right. "What..."

The Nation frowned, looking down. "My boss doesn't want me talking to you anymore - he doesn't want me getting influenced by European powers, even indirectly..."

"...but I'm not-"

"You're still under England's control. We know that isn't what this is about, but our people don't."

"Al..." He didn't know what to say - he wasn't sure whether it was the smoke or the bloodhaze that was clouding his mind.

America's hand slipped into his brother's, and a weak grin was on his face. "Don't worry, Matt, things'll be fine. You'll see..." He pulled Canada forward, embracing him and forcing his brother to take what he needed. "You'll need to do this fast - I don't know how long it'll be before people come looking for us."

The bite was harder than usual, and the young Nation couldn't help the slight whimper that came out as his twin forced the blood out as opposed to letting it flow. When the colony finished, it took the southern twin a few minutes of dazed panting for his body to recover enough to drunkenly shrug his clothes back on. With one last glance back to his brother, he stumbled out of the room, slowly regaining a steady stride as he walked down the somewhat familiar corridors.

By the time he'd rejoined his men, 'lamenting' the fact that he 'couldn't find his brother', few would be able to tell there was anything wrong with him.

The bloodstain on his shoulder was passed off as an unlucky encounter with debris.

He deliberately refused to look back as he left the burning city.

~0~0~

Two years after York burned, Canada rapidly walked through his twin's capital, smoke rising from the burning capital buildings. A part of him was satisfied at the revenge for the burn still lingering over his heart, while the rest of him just wanted to find America and-

Well, he wasn't sure. But he had to know his brother was alright - the past two years had been hard on him, not knowing anything going on down south except through the rumor mill and the slow diffusion of news months old making its way north.

Finally, he saw him, standing in the middle of the street, just staring at the inferno. The area was empty except for them, the citizens having fled long ago. Heat tickled at the two of them as they stood there, neither sure what to say.

"Al..." _I'm sorry. I missed you. Please don't ignore me. I need you._

"I guess I earned this, huh?" A weak chuckle that turned into a hacking cough, and in a flash Canada was at his twin's side, holding his steady even as the Nation hacked up  _sweet delicious no not now!_  blood and soot.

"No you didn't, I couldn't-"

"I get it, Matt. Just kinda funny that it seems like the same damn thing as before." An arm, normally so strong but now shaking as America wrapped it around his brother's shoulder, using it to hold himself up. "You shouldn't be here, you know. England'll be furious."

"I don't care about England right now, I care about  _you_." A hand rose, wiping away the soot that had started to settle on the Nation's face. "It's been hard, not even getting to talk with you through letters."

"I tried sending some, but they all got intercepted somewhere along the way." They were sinking to the ground, America listlessly falling back and pulling his brother onto him in a slow collapse. "I missed you..."

The shirt fell open, showing the burns spread out across the southern twin's chest. Canada's fingers traced them, before the hand settled on the shoulder. "Can I..." It was just like when they were colonies, the northern one so unsure and constantly second-guessing everything.

"Of course. 's what I'm here for." The head rolled to the side slightly, and with that exposed the faint scar from the last time they'd been together. The feeding this time was slow and long, the northern twin refusing to hurt his brother anymore. When they finished, they curled up together in the street, ignoring the world around them in favor of this moment belonging to just them.

Soot continued to fall from the sky. When America's men finally found them, they were both deep asleep, holding tightly in the subconscious fear of losing the other again.

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

The sight of his brother covered in bandages, pale and shaking in whatever nightmare he was having was enough to break Canada's heart. He'd had to use his powers once or twice to get to this hidden room, tucked away in the depths of the White House. Now there was no one here in this dark room but the two of them.

He'd heard about how horrible civil wars were, but he'd never seen the effects until now. America's arms were bound, apparently because he'd tried to claw himself apart without them. He could smell the sticky blood oozing from the wounds both self-inflicted and otherwise, but for once the vampire in him didn't care.

The northern colony - no, Nation, he was unified now - sat down on the bed, a hand lightly tracing the curve of his twin's face, missing so much of its former baby fat, leaving the other Nation, dare he say it, handsome. In as much as a teenager could be, anyway.

A hacking cough pulled him from his musings as America tried to double over, droplets of blood flying past his lips. Instantly Canada was there, wiping away the blood still on the southern Nation's lips as he whispered comforting words, emotions welling up in him. He couldn't lose his brother again - the two years without contact had been bad enough, but this? He'd heard England muttering about how this could kill his brother if the South won, and that terrified him to the core.

What was worse was that there was nothing he could do about it - his people refused to get involved in what was clearly an internal only matter, so the only thing Canada could do was take in his brother's people fleeing the war, wishing he could do more. That was why he'd come, because he'd hoped that somehow his being there with his brother would somehow help.

"Matt?" America weakly asked, his eyes still partially lost in a fever-haze. "Y're here..."

"Of course I am," the northern twin muttered, "I was worried about you."

A weak chuckle. "'m fine..." Another coughing bout, but less violent. "Just... need some rest, 's all..."

Canada couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "You always say that, you idiot..."

His brother's eyes were already closing, exhaustion setting in. "'s true... made a promise... always there f' you..."

"...you'd better keep that promise, then..." The other quietly replied to the sleeping form.

As he quietly watched his twin sleep, Canada took a moment to realize that at this point he normally would have had the haze come over him by now, especially since it'd been more than a month since he'd had blood. But there was nothing except the faint thrum he'd come to associate with his brother's presence.

It was likely from how often he'd tasted America's blood, but lately he always seemed to know in the back of his mind when his twin was nearby. It made it all but impossible for the other to sneak up on him, but it also meant that his bloodhaze would pop up at the least likely and least helpful of places. However, it was a great lesson in self-control, and soon he was able to function normally even if a good chuck of him just wanted to pull the other to the side and take what he needed.

But even after days with his brother (only leaving to grab something to eat before returning), he was... normal. Well, not quite, because something different was welling up in him, a protective, almost possessive desire, and it scared him because he didn't know what it meant  _but he did and that was_ _why-_

Canada leaned in, face hovering over his brothers, just taking in details that he'd always known but somehow now were new. America's light, short breaths sent bursts of energy though his system, and he leaned in, following those breaths back-

The door slammed open, startling the northern Nation into quickly drawing back, ramrod straight as he faced the irritated form of England. "A-Arthur..."

The island Nation strode over, pulling him up and dragging him back towards the doorway. "I thought I told you not to come here while this war was going on!"

Canada squirmed, trying to get out of him mentor's grip, but it was impossible. "I had to make sure he was okay!"

England didn't look at him, instead continuing to drag him out of the building and to the waiting carriage. "You should know that civil wars are never good on us. It's his own blood fault for not realizing what his policies were doing until it was too late; now all any of us can do is wait."

The next several days were spent in sullen silence, even when they stopped for meals or sleep. Canada spent the time worrying over America's condition and wondering what his last actions had been about. It was only after several days of travel, him staggering through his bedroom door to flop gracelessly on his bed, that it dawned on him.

"I love him..." He whispered breathlessly to the room. " _Mon dieu_ , I love him..."

Somewhere in the years they'd known each other, taken care of each other, he'd stopped seeing his brother as just that, and now that he'd realized it, everything seemed both simpler and more complicated at the same time. He didn't bother to tell anyone, because there was only one person who needed to know - but he was miles away, catatonic in bed.

It was three long, agonizing years of waiting for the war to end, but it did, thankfully in favor of the Union. It was another three months before America stumbled through his doorway, grinning even through the healing wounds.

Canada almost dropped the books he'd been carrying from his room back to the library in his shock. "Al?"

The southern Nation walked over, pulling his brother into a hug. "It's me..."

The two sank down to the floor, embracing each other in relieved joy. "I was worried about you, you know."

"I know." Canada didn't have to try hard to imagine the light grin on his twin's face. "I think I remember you visiting, but everything from the past couple years is kinda a blur."

They pulled back, hands loosely holding the other's arms. "I wish I could have done more for you..." The northern Nation murmured sadly, gaze on the bandages still visible under his brother's clothes.

"You did everything you could, Mattie, and that's what counts."

A quiet, non-committal hum was the only response, the two just spending a quiet moment together. America seemed to realize something.

"Oh man, you haven't had any in ages, have you? Hold on..." The southern twin started struggling with his shirt before Canada stopped him, eyes partially lidded.

"That's not what I want..." He whispered, sending jolts down his brother's spine.

The northern Nation leaned closer, hesitating on the edge before plunging in, capturing America's lips in his own. They stayed like that for what seemed ages until the need for air drove them apart, both breathing heavily as the just gazed into each other's eyes, both knowing there was no turning back.

Once, twice, again the came together, letting everything they felt here and now out in a simple gesture. Canada leaned back to the floor, letting his brother crawl on top of him, still exchanging kisses.

"I love you..." America whispered, earning a small, joyful smile from his twin.

"I know."

And after that they needed no words.

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

Canada hesitated at the doorway, hearing a quiet murmur of the other Nations inside. America took his hand, squeezing gently. "You don't have to do this, Matt."

The northern twin shook his head. "England's right - it's been three hundred years; it's time I told everyone."

Another light squeeze. "I'll be there with you, since it's kinda our secret. That alright?"

Canada smiled lightly. "Of course, you dork. C'mon, the world's waiting."

They walked in together, hand in hand, and a quiet descended over the room. When they reached the podium, America let go, stepping back far enough so that he was still within arm's reach without taking attention away from his brother.

"England and France said you had something important to share with us?" Germany asked, frowning lightly.

The northern Nation glanced at the two in question, before sighing. "Yes... for a while now, I've been hiding something... big. I might have told someone sooner, but... by the time you guys would have accepted it, I was already used to keeping quiet about it."

A deep breath. "I'm... a vampire. And I have been for the past three hundred years."

A moment of silence, before laughter burst out from Prussia. "Oh man Matt, you almost had us there for a second! Vampire..."

Canada's eyes narrowed, and the second the ex-Nation's eyes had the misfortune to lock with his, he cast a glamor on him. Prussia almost immediately quieted, eyes glazed over. With a small gesture from the younger Nation, he stood up from his seat and made his way over. The other Nations were watching in dead silence as Prussia stopped in front of Canada, silently standing, face expressionless.

America hadn't made a move, instead scanning the room for potential threats. Most of the Nations were a mixture of horrified and awed, but the most surprising (or perhaps not) was Russia, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but there. That was right, the larger Nation was afraid of vampires, wasn't he? The superpower would have to pull him aside and talk with him later.

Canada, meanwhile, was running a finger along the jawline of his captive, eventually resting on the ex-Nation's lips. "You're lucky I don't like using my powers to take advantage of people, or I wouldn't be letting you go with this warning." With that, the northern Nation dropped the glamor.

Prussia stumbled back, rubbing at his eyes and facing away. " _Mein gott_ , the hell was that?"

"A basic glamor. It convinces you to do what I ask. Now do you believe me?"

A weak nod, before the ex-Nation retreated back to his seat, humiliated. A flurry of whispers broke out around him when he sat down, all of which he refused to respond to.

Japan was the first to hesitantly raise his hand. "Ano... do you... have fangs?"

Canada blinked. "Of course." He obligingly opened his mouth wide, only extending the fangs once it was fully visible.

Japan made his way over, hesitating before tapping one of them. " _Fascinating..._ " He muttered, running a finger along it before stepping back, allowing the northern Nation to retract the fangs and close his mouth. "You are not lying... what is it like?"

Canada rubbed the back of his head. "Well, other than the occasional haziness when I need blood, it's fairly mundane. I don't burn in sunlight or avoid garlic or anything like that, if that's what you're wondering."

"Haziness? Like, losing control?" Poland looked pale.

Canada's eyes widened. "No! I've got too much self-control for that!"

"But what if you do? What if you snap and attack one of us?" Austria said, frowning.

A snort of amusement. "First off, I haven't in almost fifty years of attending these meetings, so I think you're all safe there. Second, even if I did somehow lose control, which I wouldn't, I wouldn't want any of your blood anyway." Canada's nose wrinkled. "I don't even want to know what's crawling around in your guys' veins after so many centuries."

"So you target humans?" Belgium asked, aghast.

"No! I almost did once, but Al stopped me in time. I've never tasted human blood, and I don't plan on it anytime soon."

"Well then, where do you get blood from?" Romania asked, confused.

Canada shrugged. "Well, for the most part if I'm in a hurry I usually grab some wild animal to tide me over. Otherwise..."

America stepped forward, resting a hand on his twin's shoulder. "...he gets it from me."

"America? You knew this?"

The superpower shrugged. "Who'd you think helped him keep it a secret? Besides, there was - is - no one else who can handle the constant need for blood."

Canada leaned back into his brother's arm. "It's just been easier for the both of us this way - I'm not attacking anyone, and Al can make sure I'm alright. There's no reason for me to go after any of you, even if I'm out of it."

A moment of silence, before Hungary blinked, realizing something. "Are you two... together?"

A quiet, hesitant nod from the superpower. "Since my Civil War. It's nothing against the rest you but... we're just a lot more comfortable with each other. Plus neither of us have to worry about anyone else finding out Matt's secret accidentally... well, we hoped, anyway. Guess that didn't work."

"...so you are not going to attack us?" Russia asked quietly.

Canada shrugged. "Considering I once tracked this idiot half-way across France during a particularly bad incident, all without attacking anyone or anything else? I think you're all fine."

Everyone in the room seemed to release a breath at once.

"Since it is obvious you have your... condition... under control, we will not hold it against you." Germany said, nodded agreements an echoes of agreement circling the room.

Canada relaxed into his twin, allowing himself to be held as a weight he hadn't realized was on him lifted all at once.

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

"Alfred..." A voice America hadn't heard in nearly a year now sounded, startling him from his reading.

"Mattie?" He replied, not sure if his ears were deceiving him. "You're here?" He twirled around, leaping up out of his chair to run out to where that voice had come from.

Late last year, Canada had suffered from what was now being called the October Crisis, and had vanished without a trace. The next year had been tense for the superpower, because he was so used to always having his twin dropping in at least twice a month that him not showing up threw him off.

But now that was all in the past, because the northern Nation was back. America turned the last corner to the front hall, spying his brother standing there. His face split into a grin. "Mattie!"

The other Nation looked at him, and the superpower froze, grin locked in place. That look in Canada's eyes was off... the southern twin took one step back. "W-what's with the look?"

The northern Nation stepped forward, focused intently on him. "Alfred..." he muttered again, sending chills down his brother's spine.

He laughed, trying to break the tension. "You alright, Mattie? If you're hungry, I can go get you something-"

He made the mistake of turning his back to his brother to try to get away. Faster than the superpower thought, he felt an arm wrap around him, pinning him to Canada and keeping him from moving. This was extremely unusual, because usually America could overpower his twin even if the other was using his vampire-given strength.

The northern Nation's breath was warm against his neck. "I missed you..." He murmured, pressing his lips to America's neck before giving the area one slow long swipe of his tongue.

"M-Matt... I'm not-"  _ready,_  he tried to finish - his shirt was still on, and he had nothing to brace himself on for the temporary wooziness that always came after a feeding but before his body started it's natural healing process - but the fangs entered his neck, and the superpower had to bite back a gasp. A hand reached up, wrapping around Canada's wrist, trying desperately to pull it away. The southern Nation's other hand tried to come up to join it, but it was quickly grabbed by his twin, who held it in place against his side in a mockery of comfort (or maybe some small part of the vampire that was still his brother was doing what he could - who could say).

America coughed weakly, and he could feel blood dripping down his neck - wasteful, something Canada would never do if he were still in control - and oozing out of his lips. Darkness started creeping in around the edges of his vision, and he could feel his eyelids growing heavy. Time started to lose meaning, and the superpower was only barely aware of when the fangs pulled away, or his brother's frantic pleas to stay awake.

He woke up later, in his bed with Canada tightly holding him, dried tears and snot smeared across his face. Blood still lingered on the northern Nation's lips, a reminder of earlier. The southern twin reached over with his free hand to carefully wipe away some of the lingering tears, stopping when his brother's eyes blinked open, no longer glowing or slit-pupiled.

"Al...?" He whispered, wide eyed.

"Matt..." America replied, only to have the breath knocked out of him when his brother tackled him, pressing himself as close as he could.

"I'msosorryAlIdidn'tmeantoattackyouIwasjuststan dingthereandyoucamearoundthe cornerandI'msosorrypleasedon'thateme-" The northern Nation babbled out, his twin barely able to process the words.

"Shh, shh, Matt, it's okay, I'm fine..." The superpower whispered, wrapping his arms around his brother. "I don't hate you; I couldn't hate you even if I tried."

"B-but I hurt you... I lost control when I shouldn't have, and I don't know how you can just forgive me-"

"You're my brother, and you weren't in control of what you did. How could I blame you for that?"

Canada said nothing, just continuing to hold his twin close. America shifted, lifting his brother up and carrying him to the bathroom, using one hand to hold the northern Nation securely while his other grabbed a towel, getting it wet before carefully sitting his twin on the counter, using the damp towel to clean his face. Once that task was done, the superpower pulled his twin forward, trailing light kisses across his face while murmuring soft words of forgiveness and love. A slight jerk of Canada's head resulted in their lips meeting, the northern Nation pressing forward desperately, asking silently for forgiveness his twin had already given.

The northern Nation grabbed his twin's shoulders, careful to avoid the still-healing scar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I have quite a few stored up. I just needed somewhere to put them down, and now I'm sharing them with you guys! Enjoy~


	7. Bunny Drabbles (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just random tidbits from Bunnies that ended up being more shippy than others. All of them are AmeCan, so yeah.
> 
> Posted April 17 2013

Manifest Destiny Redux:

The rest of the world descended into silence the moment the twins walked in the door, hand in hand.

"What is the meaning of this?" England asked, throwing the newspaper on the table in front of this, the headline blaring about the new union.

America grinned winningly. "Matt n' I got married!" Canada just nodded, smiling lightly.

"That much I could guess, you nitwit. Why did you go through with the union?"

The northern twin spoke this time. "We fell in love and went through all the usual steps. Our bosses just figured it was as good a sign as any that it was time for the union to happen."

"But what about your independence? Didn't you say a while ago how you would never unify with him?" This time it was Netherlands who asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Canada shrugged. "Things change, and besides, we're equals in this. What I was worried about was being overwhelmed, but this way neither of us will fade."

There were many more questions, all answered by the twins cheerfully before the meeting finally began. No one noticed the calculating eyes carefully watching the room, patiently picking out targets.

They'd have to move fast. Once the first few came under their control, it would only be a matter of moments, hours at most, until the other realized and started reacting appropriately. And then they'd likely have a war on their hand, which thankfully they were already prepared for.

Their best bet was Mexico and the rest of the North American continent first. It was easy enough - all they had to do was pull them aside one by one and chat for a bit, before getting ready for the next North American Conference.

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

Wait, Wife?:

He'd thought, when his brother had finally returned to his senses and moved back to his place, that he would finally be able to relax.

At least, until the first restless night, tossing and turning in the now too-large bed (strange - hadn't he used to think it was too small?), followed by a groggy morning where he hadn't realized he'd prepared for two until he sat down, greeting someone who wasn't there.

That wasn't the only thing. All day he'd been expecting something, only to feel a brief spark of - disappointment? - when lunch passed without even a call. He got home, again going through the motions of cooking for two only to catch himself at the last moment. It was a passing thing, he told himself; he had just fallen into a routine, and once he got used to living on his own again, things would be fine.

A week passed. Two. Three. Even when he made his monthly trip back to his country house to hang out with Kaleo and Tony, he still hadn't quite broken himself of it. Really, Canada had only been around for three months - surely it couldn't ingrain that deeply in that short a time, could it?

All these little things were nagging at him, leaving him restless and confused, and a meeting passed where he couldn't stop from glancing at his brother, who was by all accounts back to normal. So this was only affecting him? He wasn't sure what to think of that either.

It was nearly a week into the second month that it all fell together. It was the morning after another restless night, and he had just been washing his face when the realization hit him.

He missed Canada.

If that weren't enough, all it took was a gaze into the mirror to vaguely register his shocked expression to realize what was behind that thought.

He loved his brother.

The superpower started laughing, weakly at first but quickly increasing in volume and starting to become tinted with hysteria. Wasn't this just fucking perfect? Of course he'd actually have to fall for the person who'd been pursuing him for three months right  _after_  they'd stopped having those feelings for him. He slumped to the floor, covering his face with a hand even as he quieted down into giggles.

On top of that, he'd seen how worried the other Nation had been at the meeting when Canada was all but hovering, especially when word got around about the accident. They were scared, he knew, of two of the largest countries in the world forming any sort of permanent union that would inevitably come around if they had actually been married. It had taken quite a bit of crowd control on the part of himself, England, and France in order to get the worst of the whispering to die down.

America rubbed at his face, tears of frustration leaking from the corners of his eyes. Why did everything have to get so complicated? This wasn't what he'd wanted at all - all he'd wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before. Had that really been so wrong?

And now all he wanted was for his twin to walk into the room, swooping over once he saw his condition to fuss over him until he finally started talking. He wanted to just hug him and let all his confusion and frustration melt away. But none of that mattered - what he wanted never mattered in the end. Maybe if he just didn't think about it, it would pass.

That conviction lasted all of five minutes, when the phone rang just as he was making himself a fast breakfast. He grabbed the phone, not checking the number. "Yeah?"

_"Hey, Al."_

He could feel his heart skip a beat, and his mouth felt dry. "Oh, hey Matt."

_"Are you busy this weekend? I was hoping I could come visit if it wasn't too much trouble..."_

America spoke before he thought. "This weekend? Nah, I'm not doing anything, of course you can come over-" he babbled on for a bit longer, realized what he was doing, and quickly laughed it off, saying he had to get going before hastily hanging up. He swallowed, throat tight, suddenly not hungry because his stomach was busy flip-flopping like it was practicing for the Olympics.

Fuck, what had he just gotten himself into?

~0~0~~0~0~~0~0~

Your Touch, Your Skin, Your Hands:

"America?" England asked, slowly opening the door. When he once again got no response from the superpower, he sighed, letting himself in.  _Obviously the idiot fell asleep playing video games or some nonsense like that_ , he thought to himself as he took off his shoes in the hallway.  _It would be like him to completely forget I was coming over today._

He walked into the living room, muttering about inconsiderate brats and other things. It took him a minute to register the sight before him.

His colony had indeed fallen asleep on the couch, but not because of video games. Not with the complete lack of clothing he had on. Of course, if it had just been the lack of clothing, he would have blushed, grabbed a blanket and tossed it over the indecent Nation before ranting at him about decency for a while.

No, the main issue was the fact that he wasn't  _alone_.

Canada was draped across his brother like a blanket, also lacking in any clothing. The two had obviously been asleep for a while, if the deep, even breathing was any sign.

But there was no discomfort in either of their faces. In fact, the two looked extremely comfortable together, and that was what really threw him for a loop. He desperately racked his brain for when the two could have possibly united, but came up short. Obviously such a situation would have been in the news from the first hints of possibility, but... this... how...

He reached out, almost touching them, before he remembered that he hadn't bothered with gloves that day. He cursed himself for his short-sightedness, before desperately looking for something he could use as a substitute. He saw a hand towel on the table nearby, and after checking to make sure it was clean, he carefully shook the northern twin awake. Canada blinked groggy eyes at him, still showing no signs of discomfort despite the amount of skin contact he had with his brother.

It took several silent moments of England unable to formulate a coherent sentence that Canada realized just who had woken him up. The moment it hit him, his eyes widen in horror, and he scrambled to move away. However, the movement seemed to trigger an automatic response from America, because arms wrapped around the struggling body before pulling it back to him, muttering sleepily.

"Mattie, 's too e'rly to get up. Wan' more sleep." He pulled the other's head down, planting a gentle kiss on the other's lips, frowning when Canada was still struggling to get away instead of returning it. His eyes slowly opened, gazing in confusion at the panicked and horrified expression on his twin's face, before his eyes unconsciously moved to meet emerald green.

Unlike his brother, the owner of those eyes triggered an immediate warning bell in his head, and he was awake in an instant. "England- wha- when did-"

"How..." It seemed to be the only word he could form. Oh wait, there came more now. "You... he... I... _how?_ "

Neither answered, both horrified that they had been caught.

This... was going to be hard to explain.

~0~0~

For a long while, neither moved. Both of them were too busy absorbing the new sensation that came with actual contact, their hands still entwined in each other. Almost reluctantly, America drew away one of his hands, only to start trailing it down his brother's arm. After a brief moment, Canada started doing the same, pulling the other hand away so he could use both to explore the southern Nation's body thoroughly.

Hands glided against skin, taking in both warm flesh and wide expanses of land. (At some point the shirts they had been wearing were discarded, forgotten on the floor much like the drinks staining the carpet on the other side of the room.) So much of their terrain was shared, and it showed in the prairies spread across their stomachs and the mountains along their spine. Those differences they did have stood out even more to them; while America's hands often lingered along the icy chill of the North along the other's arms, Canada spent a lot of time feeling the dry deserts along his brother's legs.

They weren't sure when it happened, but one of them had gotten the idea to get closer to get in more contact. Whoever it was, it was agreed to be a great idea. Soon the prairies were pressed together, and both could swear they almost felt a slight snap, like two puzzle pieces coming together.

The brief thought was lost in the sudden hyper-awareness of their land they felt in that moment. All across them they could feel the buzz of their people as they moved about their business, completely unaware of the miracle that was occurring in a average-sized house on the outskirts of Ottawa at that very moment. But it was more than that - they could feel their people in the other's land, a sort of distant recognition of their own.

If they focused, they could feel the stream of people moving between them, the border only a mild inconvenience for the two groups of people who were so similar yet different. So many people, so many resources and goods - all across their border, it felt like tiny stitches forever entwining them closer, closer than any other nations or Nations had ever been without uniting.

(Or maybe closer than even them, because when ever had two Nations had so much in common?)

The border blurred further. For one brief, eternal moment, they were not America or Canada - they were both and neither and  _so much more_  that it left an ache in their chests at the notion of ever losing this - the connection that brought them together, defining them both in ways they could only begin to imagine.

They fell.

But it was together, and they could handle that.

~0~0~

After that afternoon, everything changed.

They hung out more often, often forcing themselves to finish their work early so they had more time together. Their bosses were surprised at their sudden diligence but said nothing. After all, the work was getting done, and the two weren't getting into trouble. Whatever the two were up to really wasn't their concern.

Days turned to weeks, and neither could imagine going back to Before. Whenever the notion popped into their head it was met with quick retribution and burial in an unmarked grave in the back of their minds. This discovery, this  _drug_ , could not,  _would not_  be given up, not when it meant so much to the both of them. Afternoons that used to be spent complaining about their governments and the other Nations were put to the side in favor of quiet cuddling and touching, the sensations of  _touch_  still as new and exciting as ever.

Over time, they grew bolder. When walking through the busy streets they would walk hand-in-hand without gloves; contact-sports became more about the former than the latter; fussing over each other became an excuse for the thrill of feather-light touches across virgin skin. However, by unspoken agreement, they never did any of these in front of the other Nations.

Even that agreement eventually fell to the side, their hands finding each other under the desk as England or some other Nation droned on about their economy or some other matter that quite honestly didn't even register when the pleasant mixture of hot and cold came together.

It was seven months into the Discovery when America arrived at Canada's Ottawa house (fitting, in retrospect), rubbing the back of his head sheepishly even as his brother eagerly dragged him through the door, almost forgetting to shut it. After a few moments of snuggling on the couch, the superpower had finally worked up the courage to ask his brother a question that had been nagging at him for a while.

"Matt?" The northern Nation lifted his head from its resting spot on the other Nation's shoulder (they had found that both of them were infinitely more comfortable when Canada was lying on top, like some strange parody of their geography), giving his brother a questioning look.

There was no backing out of it now. America swallowed. "Can... can we try something?"

Silence. Canada slowly nodded, gaze never leaving the Nation below him. "What did you have in mind?"

Both of them were so quiet, unsure. The superpower idly wondered when things had become this way, before finding that he really didn't have it in him to care at the moment. Instead, he carefully (oh so carefully) brought a hand up behind his brother's head. Curious, the northern Nation allowed it, wondering exactly what his brother wanted to do. He felt himself get pulled forward and pressing their lips-

Oh.

_Oh._

**_Oh._ **

That...

 _That_  was...

_Nice._

America pulled away, nervous. "Was it alright? I mean, I saw some other people doing it and I kinda wondered what it would be like and-"

Canada silenced him by returning the favor.

At first the kisses were short, lips lightly pressing together and sending small jolts throughout their bodies. Neither had truly imagined taste could play into this type of thing, but America's lips definitely had the lingering taste of salt and apples, while Canada's tasted sweet like powdered sugar.

After they got over the initial rush of these sensations, the kisses started lingering, sometimes lasting long enough to leave them both breathless. Each time they would break away, only to recapture the other's lips. America's arms had wrapped around the body on his, one holding his twin's waist while the other wrapped around the slightly smaller shoulders. The northern Nation's arms, on the other hand, had one arm looped under his brother's neck while the other hand played through his short, spiky hair.

Without thinking, America's mouth opened slightly, and his tongue swiped across his brother's lips. The effect was instantaneous, as Canada startled back, hands pressing to his lips. The southern Nation was too busy being surprised at the burst of taste still lingering on his tongue to see the heavy blush now spreading across the other's face.

"A-Al, what the heck was  _that_?" It hadn't been bad; far from it, in fact. But it had been so sudden and he hadn't been ready for the burst of tingling that that one small gesture had left in its wake.

Blue eyes blinked, the mind behind them returning to the real world. "I- I dunno... I mean, it just happened, and all I was thinking was that I... wanted to... maybe... taste more?"

A moment of silence as the northern Nation took this in. He lowered himself back down, and-

Now it was the superpower's turn to startle back while his twin took in the flavors dancing across his tongue. He looked at nothing in particular, instead rolling his tongue and savoring it the same way he or France did with wine. He breathed out, and looked back to his brother, who was now gazing at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

"It's... different." The northern twin finally said. "Not bad, but..."

America nodded. "Yeah... it's like... I can still taste it, and it's just... you." He suddenly yawned. "That took a lot out of me."

Canada could also feel himself nodding off, the continuous thrill of the afternoon having strained his mind to the limit. He had the sense of mind to make his brother get up off the couch by convincing him that the bed would be comfier. As they curled into each other, the connection returned, and they were lulled to sleep by the soft buzz of their people.

~0~0~

Both Nations looked up when someone knocked on the door. Still wary of the other Nations finding them, they slowly made their way over. America cracked it open just enough to see who it was.

China merely raised an eyebrow at the action. "I see you're still as paranoid as always, America."

The door opened a bit more. "China, how did you find us?"

"Magic. And don't tell me you don't believe in it, either - I know very well what that bear of yours is."

The superpower hesitated, before sighing. "What do you want? Are you here to force the 'secret' out of us too?"

The older Nation's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Hardly. I am just here to talk. Besides," and this time there was the faintest hint of mischief in his eyes. "I already know the secret."

"What?" The door opened, allowing Canada to see the elder Nation as well. "You know the reason we can do this?"

China walked in, ignoring the question. "I hope you have green tea here; getting here was very exhausting."

-(No idea what to write here.)-

China sipped at his tea before beginning. "Many years ago, before I had much contact with Western Nations, I would often spend time thinking. Sometimes it would be on shadows on the moon, other times it would be on leaves or dragons. One time, I thought about curse.

"I was curious, because it seemed odd that something so fundamental as touch could be so hard to come by for our kind. I thought on many reasons for this, but none made sense. I spent thirty years thinking about this, and finally I come to a conclusion.

"Most borders are always defended by men and sword, correct? I believe that  _that_  is the main cause of 'curse' that bothers Nations, and that the repulsion is nothing more than an effect of both sides having no trust for other side.

"But you two... you two trust each other completely. I see this everyday in your people and governments. Other Nations are afraid that if they open up too much they will lose their identities and fade away. The amount of trust between you two is unheard of, so they do not understand. It is same for your Native peoples too, yes?"

Both twins nodded, wide-eyed. "The tribes always talked about how the concept of borders never made sense to them because they knew that the other tribes needed the land just as much as they did. They thought the idea of dividing up land so only one tribe or group of tribes could use it was ridiculous..."

China sat back, smug. "Exactly."

America blinked. "Wait, Mattie and I haven't had a militarized border for almost two hundred years - why couldn't we do this before now?"

China frowned. "Canada was still under control of Opium. His control was what made effect still there, although I guess you two probably didn't trust each other for a bit after your war. Once his influence was gone and you two had long patched up, there was nothing stopping you two."

Canada frowned. "There's still that issue with geography..."

A snort from the elder Nation. "That was merely because of distance and fact that people were not as used to varied terrain as they are today. Even one hundred years ago effect was worse than it is now because getting places was so slow. But now with more faster transportation, people can go places they would not have in older times. They experience more of the world, and bring that back with them to their Nation.

"In fact, the only thing holding Europeans back at this point is themselves - if they let go of past hatreds and learn to get along they could be like you two have been for past several years."

The twins choked. "How did you-"

China waved his hand dismissively. "I raised all my siblings from when they were very small - I am very good at reading subtle body clues, and you two were not very subtle about hands under table." He grinned suddenly. "And maybe I see you two cuddling once or twice when you think no one is around. Very cute, aru." He winked at the mortified brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And more for the road. I write way too much sometimes.


	8. Random Drabbles (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random AmeCan drabbles. Mostly various AUs and stuff. 
> 
> Posted Nov 3 2013

When Alfred first looked into bright violet eyes he felt entranced, smiling back when the pretty young man they belonged to smiled shyly at him. He scooted over to the seat next to the other man, introducing himself over a drink and rolling the other's name over his tongue when Matthew returned the favor.

Within an hour they were laughing together over something Alfred couldn't recall as the other escorted him out of the bar, Matthew pulling him down the street and into a dark alley.

The first sense that something wasn't right was when Matthew pressed insistent lips to his, teeth nibbling on his lower lip demanding entrance. He gave in quickly, letting his mouth be ravaged while Matthew tugged insistently at the hem of his shirt. When the other pulled away Alfred lingered in a daze, not registering the flash of sharp teeth until Matthew was on his neck.

As his consciousness faded, a bloody pair of lips were pressed to his own, and he knew no more.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The first thing Alfred realizes upon waking up is that the sun is halfway set, meaning he'd slept on the beach for several hours and was definitely late to get home.

The second was that it was cold next to the ocean, the water-laden breeze making him shiver, reminding him that his clothes were still back in the car.

The third was that there was someone lying next to him, wide violet eyes staring at him while a webbed hand hovered just over his face.

The two stare at each other for several moments, neither wanting to make the first move. Alfred's eyes eventually move of their own accord, sliding down the other's body, past where the smooch skin melts into shimmering purple scales, ending with wide near-transparent fins.

The merman speaks, a popping, bubbling sound which was probably better suited to under the water. Alfred still somehow gets a strange sense of what's being asked, as if the other's not entirely speaking with his voice, and refocuses on his face.

"Alfred."

The merman tilts his head, making some more popping sounds before touching a wet hand to his face, pale fingers running over sun tanned skin. It isn't so much a direct thought as a small bubble in the back of his mind popping open.

"Matthew?"

The merman smiles shyly, and Alfred returns it.

~0~0~

It wasn't long before Alfred was shivering hard, forcing him to finally get up to leave. Matthew stared forlornly at him, even as Alfred ran a hand through his half-dried hair while promising to come back as soon as he could. Alfred turned to leave, feeling the gaze following him as he walked up towards the parking lot, and only stopped to look back when the gaze fell away only to see the form slipping back into the ocean.

He shook his head, getting into his car and driving home with the mental imagine of bright violet eyes stuck in his head the entire way.

Naturally, his parents were upset with him being gone so long without telling them, but after convincing them he had just gone to hang out with some friends and had lost track of time, they begrudgingly let up on their questioning. Sneaking a bag of chips from the cupboard - after all, he HAD missed dinner - he collapsed on his bed, eating relatively quietly while letting his thoughts drift.

One part of him was convinced he'd just dreamed up Matthew, a result of too much sun affecting his mind. The rest of him couldn't get the strange young merman out of his head, eyes intelligent but also inhuman-

He wondered, for a while, whether his promise to the other was safe.

He also wondered, for a much shorter period of time, why he was still willing to go back anyways.

~0~0~

It took a week to convince himself that he was not going back. He had no reason to besides a half-made promise, and it wasn't like the other would even be there waiting just for him. This was only reinforced by the research he'd done in his spare time, with tales of men lured by pretty faces into the depths to disappear forever.

On the eighth night he dreamed of dulled violet eyes, a drying body on the shore of someone who'd waited too long for someone who never came.

On the ninth morning he was at the shore, the only one there, making his way down to the end, the only sign of companionship the glint of purple under the water.

When he settled down next to Matthew, just where the water reached the top of his hips, he felt cool arms wrap around him and a damp head in his lap, all conveying a sense of loneliness and gratitude.

Alfred decided that at least the rest of his life would be interesting.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Blind!Matthew AU

Alfred closed his eyes, allowing the wandering hands mapping out his face to dance over them, tracing the ridge of his nose and brow; two fingers seemed to linger over his lips for a long time before they moved away to trace his jaw. Once the hands reached his hairline, he allowed himself to smile as a hand bushed against his stubborn cowlick several times, as if in an attempt to force it down.

"You're really beautiful." The other whispered, hands reluctantly pulling away, prompting Alfred to open his eyes and smile, even if he knew the other couldn't see it. It was a shame, too - the shade of violet Matthew possessed would make anyone envious.

"So are you." He replied, winning a flush and a smile smile back.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Mermattie AU (1)

Alfred at first couldn't believe it - sure, he'd hoped desperately (and dreamed vividly) of seeing his merman again, being able to spend time with him even with the disapproval of his friends and co-workers fresh in his mind.

But there was no replicating those violet eyes, or the way they lit up when their gaze landed on him, the smile that came with it enough to make Alfred's heart race even as he ran over to Matthew, holding him close.

Nothing else mattered to the American right now, his heart feeling ready to burst at feeling so complete again after the gnawing emptiness that had heralded Matthew's departure; no matter what else happened, he knew this was exactly where both of them belonged.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Fantasy AU

Alfred groaned as he climbed the last slope to the isolated tower, wishing that mages weren't quite so keen on making themselves as hard to access as possible; really, was it that hard to ask for at least a nice open path with no steep climbs?

And really, why was he the one assigned to find this 'Matthew' anyways? It didn't even sound like a mage-ish name, but more like some shop owner or healer or something. He privately bet the guy was an old fart like all the other magic users he'd seen come by the palace, talking in riddles and showing off with rather cheap party trick magics to impress the nobles.

Why did Arthur need this guy again? Heck if he remembered.

Naturally, upon actually finding Matthew in his tower and seeing how young (and attractive) he was, his first comment to the other was "Hey, you're actually kinda cute."

Not the best way to introduce oneself to a mage with some serious ice powers at his command, even if the flush that ran across his cheeks before he cast the spell was worth it.

~0~0~0~0~0~

High School AU

It was Matt's idea to go to the new exploratorium for Al's birthday, seeing as how the other did so much for him that it was only fair that he did something in return to at least try and repay him.

Al, of course, refused initially, but Matt would have none of it as he knew his best friend had been eager to go there since he'd first heard about it; it didn't take too long to get the other boy to cave, flushed with embarrassment.

Later, with Al completely entranced by one of the larger exhibits, Matt found that he really wouldn't mind doing things like this again if only to catch more glimpses of this side of his friend (even if science stuff wasn't really his thing).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, nothing too exciting to see here.


	9. Metal Heart (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: AmeCan Android!AU, Alfred is a new model of android that can feel love and he falls for older model who cannot Matthew
> 
> Posted Feb 25 2014

Matthew is a quiet model, perfect for child rearing, or so the clerk who'd sold it to Arthur informed him cheerfully. The Englishman had been doubtful at first - Peter was awfully young, and androids were a rather new technology.

But despite all his doubts Matthew was everything he'd needed and more. He could cook, clean, and sing anything that was programmed into him, and his quiet, soft nature was perfect for calming a wailing babe down with little issue. In addition, having the android allowed Arthur to return to a full time job safely, meaning he no longer had to worry about whether he'd be able to keep food in the cupboards and a roof over their heads.

The young looking android was the best investment he'd ever made.

But children grew up, and Peter was no exception. Instead of the clingy, wide eyed toddler, the boy was now a ball of endless energy, running to and fro from sunrise to sunset without any sign of slowing down.

Matthew, bless his metal heart, tried his best to keep up, but he was an old model, and had never been designed to keep up with this, so he softly agreed with Arthur when the man brought up getting a new android to help split the work.

And thus, Alfred came into their lives. Full of energy and practically alive, he's practically the opposite of the quiet, calm Matthew. Peter takes to him immediately, dragging the laughing android off for whatever adventures he could dream up. With the two playing together, it gave Matthew the chance to complete his other household duties, returning the home to a semblance of normalcy.

Alfred seems so human, in fact, that Arthur often forgets he isn't until he gets reminded, whether through lifting something much heavier than a human could manage, or just not actually eating when Peter and Arthur sit down to do so. It's startling, to be sure, but after a while it becomes normal again.

Then Alfred starts to act strange.

It's small things at first - lingering after getting his orders for the day, interruptions in his time with Peter. It's enough to make one blink, but not to question for more than a second or two.

He starts helping around the house more, something that surprises everyone, but as it doesn't detract from his primary duties the others just assume he's bored (strange to think, considering he runs after Peter all the time, but perhaps he just needs a change of pace). When Arthur pulls him to the side though, to offer him some more time to explore his own interests, he shakes his head and refuses the offer with an honest smile.

"I'm fine, really. You don't need to worry about me, Artie."

But worry he does, especially as Alfred's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Alfred refuses to admit to any wrongdoing, while Matthew quietly reports several incidences of the younger android lingering for no reason, engaging Matthew in odd conversations, and even one time where he spent an hour sitting on the bed doing nothing, almost prompting the older android to check to make sure he hadn't broken down before the other suddenly got up and went back to his duties as if the past hour and thirteen minutes hadn't happened.

It didn't help that Peter and some of the neighbors seemed to know more about the situation than either he or Matthew did; their refusal to divulge any sort of information only made it all the more infuriating.

It culminated on a Thursday afternoon. Arthur was at work, and Peter at school, leaving the two androids to their own thing at the house. It had never caused issue before - the two got along well for the most part - so he was more than surprised to receive a frantic (for Matthew) telling him that Alfred had broken down.

It took him only fifteen minutes to get home somehow, bursting through the door to see a visibly nervous Matthew waiting by the stairs.

"I was just checking in on him to see if he'd finished cleaning the upstairs, and he was-" He cut off, looking genuinely distressed for the first time Arthur could recall.

The Englishman raced upstairs, pushing open the door to the room set aside for the two, only to stop dead. Alfred was settled in the far corner, eyes shut as if in sleep. It would be so easy to mistake him for human, even now, but for the lack of breathing. But even Arthur could tell something was missing from the android the second he'd seen the other.

During the grueling, endless thirty minute wait for a technician to come out, a million thoughts ran through his mind.

How would Peter take it if Alfred was gone? How would Matthew? How would he?

What had gone wrong with him? Was it fixable, or was Alfred…

The technician was little help, opening up the android's head to take a look at the circuits inside, only to click his tongue several times.

"Memory banks are burnt out; you could replace 'em, but you'd be back to the factory base - all of the adaptations it's made since you bought it are gone for good."

"There's nothing you can do to save him?" Arthur had almost - almost - pleaded, heart somewhere near his throat.

"Sorry, we don't really have a fix for this. We don't even know why some of the newer models like this one burn out like this - we never had this problem with the older models like your other one."

"Don't you have anyone working on it?"

The technician shook his head. "The issue isn't with the circuits; those have been tested thousands of times, and they don't just burn out on their own." The man paused, almost thoughtfully, before continuing. "Your android started acting strange before the burnout, right? Skewed routine, habit changes, all that?"

Arthur nodded. "For nearly three months now."

"And it's burned out in the same spot as the others…" The man seemed to think for a bit, then shake his head.

Arthur leapt at the moment of indecision. "What is it?"

"It's just strange to me, is all. All the calls I get for this problem are practically the same story. Someone buys a new model, they act normally for a while, then they start acting erratically, and then they burn out. It's always in the same place, and no lab tests show anything wrong with that part of the circuit."

"What part is it?"

The man looked to him. "The affection circuits." Upon noticing Arthur pale, he frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, I'll be- I'll be fine. Thank you for your help."

The man tipped his hat apologetically. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

And with that he was gone, leaving Arthur alone with the body until Matthew peeked in, drooping slightly on seeing Alfred unfixed.

"Peter's going to be upset."

"I know." Oh how Arthur knew. He doubted the boy would forgive him for months. He sighed, looking to Matthew. "Did Alfred… say anything to you, before…"

The android frowned. "...he apologized. I assumed it was for delaying on his part of the cleaning." Matthew paused. "Was I wrong?"

Arthur looked back to Alfred, so still and empty.

So vulnerable.

So human.

"No… no, I don't think so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friend gave me an Android!Au prompt when I asked for AmeCan prompts when I was feeling down. This somehow came out of it.
> 
> I can thoroughly say I had fun writing it. Android AUs are good AUs in my opinion. (Then again I grew up obsessing over Data soooooooooooooooo)


	10. Random Drabbles 2 (Variety)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friends gave me some writing prompts for AmeCan. These are what I came up with. 
> 
> Ships: Vanilla, Rainbow Sherbet, Cookies N Cream
> 
> Posted March 21 2014

"You're the best. Seriously." Alfred sniffled, accepting the large bowl of soup he was handed by his brother. Normally even a winter this bad wouldn't have him more than grumbling about the cold, but with his still recovering economy came a weakened immune system, which meant that combined with the cold... well...

Alfred sneezed, rubbing at his nose in annoyance. At least there was an upside to being stuck in his house and buried under several quilts, and that was his brother/sort-of-really-intense-crush coming over to check in on him.

Matthew laughed, ruffling his brother's hair. "Well someone has to take care of you when you're sick, since you're not going to do it yourself."

Alfred pouted, taking a large gulp of his soup despite it still being hot, hissing as it scalded his tongue. "It's just a dumb cold; it'll be gone in a few days anyways."

"It would be gone already if you hadn't tried to 'work it off' by going to work when you got it in the first place."

"But I can't just not do my job," The American replied after taking another, cooler gulp of soup. "There are lots of people counting on me."

"You don't always have to be everyone's hero, you know." Matthew sighed, sitting down next to his brother, hugging the blanket pile the other was wrapped in. "You should learn to relax more often."

"I know how to relax, sheesh," Alfred grumbled. "It's just that i have a lot of work because I'm the only superpower still around. And China totes doesn't count yet."

"Of course, Alfred." Matthew sighed, placing a chaste kiss on his brother's forehead.

This served well to distract the American from his sickness-induced irritation, the flush spreading across his face having nothing to do with the quilts encasing him. Really, why did his brother have to be so- so-

"What am I gonna do with you?" The Canadian quietly laughed, unaware of his twin's inner turmoil.

"Keep me?" Alfred offered before he could process the words, ducking his face into the thick sheets and pretending he wasn't feeling embarrassingly warm from the way Matthew's laughter rang through the room.

"Of course,  _mon frere_. Do you want more soup?"

Alfred lifted his head enough to look to his bowl, which at some point had apparently been emptied. How had he not noticed he'd finished it off already? The cold must have been affecting him more than he'd care to admit. "Nah, I'm full. Thanks, Mattie."

"You're welcome. Do you need anything else?"

 _Just you_ , Alfred thought.

"Just a nap, I think." He admitted out loud, yawning for greater emphasis.

Matthew smiled, ruffling his brother's hair to mumbled protests. "I'll leave you alone for a bit then so you can sleep." He started to get up, only to be pulled back down gently by Alfred.

"Nooooooo, stay a bit. I don't wanna go to sleep on my own." Really, he just knew that if he let his brother go now, the other would be gone when he got up; even a few minutes more would be worth it.

Matthew sighed again, but relented, allowing Alfred to rest his head in the Canadian's lap. Alfred closed his eyes, humming as his brother's hand played with his hair, slowly beginning to drift off.

"Mmm... love ya, Mattie..."

"Love you too, Al."

"Love you best..."

When next Alfred woke, his head was clearer, and the house was emptier. The American sighed, extracting himself from the blankets to make himself something light to eat.

He remembered nothing of his last words to his brother from earlier.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

There are few moments Matthew loves more than when Alfred is excited about something. The way his face lights up, stars dancing in his eyes and he eagerly goes on about whatever has caught his interest, too quickly for any to follow easily. And Matthew, to be fair, tries to follow as best he can, but he always ends up conceding, allowing himself to instead enjoy the sound of Alfred's voice washing past him, the way Alfred moves and shines and smiles as he uses everything available to him to emphasize whatever point he's on.

Right now, though, he's just a little bit annoyed.

He doesn't mind Alfred's passion for stars, really he doesn't, but with how lovely and tempting his other half looks right now, he really wants all that devotion and passion directed elsewhere.

Namely, him.

So in the middle of an explanation on the Virgo cluster, Alfred is understandably surprised to be interrupted by his twin pulling his gaze gently away from the sky, cutting off the confused question with a warm, needy kiss. Of course, he returns it, forgetting what he was saying in favor of exploring something closer to home.

There are worse ways to be interrupted, really.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Hey, Alfie?"

"Yeah, Mattie?"

"Who 're you gonna marry when you grow up?"

Alfred thought a moment, humming to himself. "I dunno. But she's definitely gonna be pretty, just like momma was. And she's gonna be really nice and play video games and fight bad guys with me." He turned to his best friend. "What about you?"

Matthew bit his lip. "I dunno… all I girls I see at school all seem so weird… and they don't really seem to like me much..."

The blue-eyed boy frowned. "Well, if none of them will marry you, then I will!"

"Huh? But what about the lady?"

"Oh, yeah." Alfred frowned. "Then I just won't get married until you do." He nodded decisively.

"Would you really do that for me?" Matthew asked, wide eyed.

Alfred grin. "You're my bestest friend, Mattie. Course I'm not gonna do something without you."

"...promise?"

"Promise."

The two linked pinky fingers, smiling cheerfully.

~0~0~

The after party for the wedding was in full swing, everyone drinking and enjoying themselves to the music playing. Alfred and Matthew had already retreated to a corner after breaking up a ensuing fight between their respective fathers, who had of course gotten into an argument over their sons.

"Really, you'd think they'd know better than to fight at a wedding of all places." Alfred gripped, collapsing onto a bench.

Matthew sat down beside him, ruffling the other man's hair. "I don't think anything could keep them from fighting. Remember when we came out to them?"

"Oh god, don't remind me." Alfred groaned. "They spent half an hour blaming each other for who 'corrupted' who before we finally got them to shut up."

Matthew laughed, leaning back to watch the party going on without them for now. Alfred joined him, the two enjoying the brief moment of relative quiet.

"...hey, remember that promise we made when we were eight?"

"The one where I promised to not marry before you, right?" Alfred's lips quirked up into a grin. "I definitely kept that one."

Matthew huffed in amusement. "You were so sure you were going to marry some pretty girl who'd play hero with you."

"Welllllllll…" Alfred grinned, gently placing a hand on the other man's face to turn it towards him. "I definitely married the prettiest guy around. And he's more than willing to play hero and video games with me. That still counts, right?"

Matthew blushed, ducking his head a bit. "Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

"Not even when we're old and wrinkly." Alfred nuzzled his nose against Matthew's before gently placing a kiss on his lips. "I love you, Matthew Williams-Jones."

His husband smiled. "I love you too, Alfred Williams-Jones. Even if you are a big dork."

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Alfred and Matthew looked quietly upon the unconscious child, neither making a move to help him despite how pale he was.

"...the one that turned him can't be too far. We could still probably catch him if we left now."

"Alfred, we can't just leave a fledgling vampire alone!" Especially one so, so young. How had the poor boy survived long enough for the poison to take effect? "What if he wakes up while we're gone? There won't be anything to keep him from attacking the first person to wander by."

Alfred sighed, turning back to the boy. The son of a wealthy merchant, who also so happened to be a powerful vampire hunter in his own right. The house had been heavily warded, designed to keep anything that wasn't human well away from the grounds, and definitely far away from the house itself, especially the vulnerable child inside.

So how had that one gotten in?

Neither of them could think of any answers that didn't mean Trouble.

"Artie's not gonna be happy."

Matthew snorted. "No one's gonna be happy. The child of a hunter being turned? He's already dead."

The two quieted again, no sound other than the settling of the house for the night breaking the silence of the dark room.

"...you know there's only one thing we can do now, right?"

"Alfred-"

"If we take him to the council, he dies. If we wait for Arthur to get back, he dies. If we follow the council's orders..."

Matthew frowned at his partner. "You know if they find out, they'll oust us as traitors."

"I didn't sign up for this to kill innocent children!"

"...I know, Al. Neither of us did."

They looked back to Peter again, the boy still unconscious (but not dead, no matter how corpse-like he appeared right now.)

They then turned to each other, a silent agreement passing between them.

Really, there was only one moral thing to do.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

When Alfred had started taking on summertime jobs for a bit of pocket cash, he'd figured the worst he'd have to deal with was the occasional crazy old guy who complained about the way he mowed the lawn or something. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad a deal, especially when he could afford to get all the new games he wanted for his console just for a bit of hard work.

Then he was hired by Bonnefoy, the rich guy who lived down several blocks from his own more modest home.

He hadn't really questioned why the guy would hire some teen like him to clean the pool once a week when he clearly could afford a professional to do in instead, figuring he was probably just a more convenient alternative to making a bunch of calls for one swimming pool. Even the warning of not wearing too much clothing while working had gone right over his head, figuring that that was just common sense - if you fell into the pool, you didn't exactly want to have all your clothes soaked through, right?

The first warning bell came when he was greeted at the door of the place not by Mr. Bonnefoy, but by a kid who couldn't be any older than him, who introduced himself as 'Mathieu', and offered to show him to the backyard. The smile had definitely seemed friendly enough, but Alfred couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with it throughout the walk.

It got worse when he moved to strip down, only to realize that Mathieu was still there and didn't seem inclined to move.

"Uh, do you mind?" He asked, blushing just a tad.

Mathieu just flashed another smile. "Non, I'm good."

The other boy didn't leave even while Alfred was working, leaving the blue-eyed boy well aware of the gaze following him. He had a very good feeling he now knew exactly why he'd been hired, and it definitely wasn't about saving money.

Finally, finally he finished, and with a sigh of relief he reached for his shirt so he could just get home, only to be stopped by a hand resting on his.

"You'll be back next week, non?" Matthew leaned a little bit closer, prompting Alfred to lean back. "Papa did hire you for the rest of summer, after all."

Alfred mentally groaned. He was not looking forward to another ten weeks of this, but a promise was a promise…

Even if the guy's kid was clearly the main reason he was here at all.

_Why me!?_

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Oh, Mattieeeeee…"

The angel's head lifted from his garden, recognizing the voice all too well. He bit back a groan when he felt seemingly gentle arms wrap around him, a warm body pressing into his back.

If it were a human, it'd be one thing. But the person near-grappling him from behind was definitely no human.

"Hello, Abigail."

She leaned down, purring into his ear. "Did you miss me, Mattie?"

He forced down any sort of admittance that could come close to affirmation. "You know you shouldn't keep coming here."

"Aww, you do care! Or do you just not want the others to get jealous of you?" She let him go, allowing him to turn and look at her in all her half-naked glory. It'd made him flush in embarrassment at first, but now he was immune to the sight.

"Abigail…" He sighed.

The demoness laughed. "There isn't an angel or demon around here besides you who could lay a hand on me unless I let them, and we both know it."

Considering she could snap limbs as easily as twigs despite her deceptively 'soft' appearance, he knew it to be true. She'd done it once, when another demon had attacked him. He hadn't known until then that demonic blood was as red as their wings; he'd always thought it'd be black. He still wasn't sure whether it was a good thing she was so possessive of him or not, considering he'd be dead otherwise.

"Still, one of these centuries Heaven will send an Archangel, and even as strong as you are…" He bit his lip.

Abigail grinned sharply, pressing a burning kiss to his cheek. "Even if they kill me for good, they'll have to work for it. I'm not letting anyone take my angel from me if I can help it."

Matthew felt a shiver go down his spine at the words.

There was a reason one didn't make nice with demons...

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

"Emmmmm," Alfred catches the Canadian in a hug right outside the meeting room. "Can we go home now?"

Emilie partially returns the hug, her other arm still holding her folders. "Sorry Al, but I still need to talk to Arthur before we can go."

"Is it really that important?" He pulls back slightly to look at her properly, giving her a hopeful look.

"Yes, Al, it is." She smiles, making his chest flutter and flip even after all these years; Alfred grins dopishly when she leans up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I promise it'll only take a few minutes, okay?"

"Alright…" He concedes, knowing that being patient now would mean happier girlfriend later, which only meant good things. He places a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead, breathing in the light strawberry smell of her hair. "I'll just wait for you by the front door."

"Thank you, Al." Emilie surprises him when he starts to move away by pulling him back into a proper kiss - not that he's complaining,  _god_  no. They ignore the annoyed cough to get their attention, pulling apart with matching smiles.

"Hey Artie," Alfred greets the Brit, grinning winningly even at the poorly veiled glare sent at him, "I was just heading out. I'll catch up with ya later, alright?"

With that he walks away, whistling to himself as he heads towards the entrance, hearing Emilie apologize for making their former caretaker wait behind him. If it were anyone else, Alfred might have lingered around a corner just in case she needed help, but Em was something special; he'd learned first hand that even if she was small she could kick your ass thoroughly, and be pretty dang scary (and hot) while she was doing it. She'd be fine, no question.

Alfred sighed happily. Damn, was he a lucky man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I just felt like sharing some of these. Nothing super spectacular, but I might expand on them someday, who knows.


	11. Kiddie Crush (Moose Tracks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because little kids with crushes are actually really adorable.
> 
> 2pCan/1pNyoCan (sort of?), side 1pCan/1pNyoAme
> 
> Posted March 22 2014

"Thank you for agreeing to keep an eye on him on such short notice," Matthew smiled sheepishly at Emilie, quickly shrugging on his jacket. "I don't know why the usual sitter cancelled last minute like that-"

"It's alright," Emilie replied, handing her flustered friend the wallet he'd accidentally shoved into her hands while diving through his pockets for the car keys. "Alex sounds like a sweetheart from what you've told me of him; I'm sure he'll be fine with me for a night."

"I hope so. He's usually shy around strangers, but I told him a little bit about you, so he should be okay." He turned to the stairway, raising his voice. "Ellie, Alex! Emilie's here!"

"Coming!" It wasn't a minute later that Eleanor descended, eyelids dusted blue and cheeks dusted pink despite the hurry she had likely been in to apply it. "Sorry for the wait, Mattie."

"It's fine." He planted a light kiss to the side of her nose. "Where's Alex?"

"Reading in his bed." She returned the favor, turning slightly to smile at Emilie. "Thank you so much for this."

Emilie smiled, waving it off. "It's fine, really - you two go have fun on your date."

The couple stumbled out the door, closing it behind themselves as almost an afterthought. Emilie shook her head in amusement, taking her jacket off with care and hanging it from the coat rack before heading upstairs.

Which door had Matthew said Alex's room was behind again?

The first door she checked revealed the bathroom - helpful, but not what she was looking for. The second door she tried gave her better luck; her friend's eight-year-old son was curled up in the corner of his bed, leaning against the wall as he quietly read what looked to be the first Harry Potter novel.

She pressed her fingers to her smiling lips, strongly considering leaving the boy to his reading. It almost felt like a crime, really, to interrupt him when he was so immersed. She could introduce herself later, when (or if) he decided to come downstairs for dinner.

The door, of course, decided to squeak on its hinges as she slowly closed it again, causing both of them to startle. Alex now stared at her, curling in just a bit more with a slight confused frown. Emilie smiled kindly at him as she opened the door again, hoping he hadn't scared him too badly.

"Hello there, Alex, I'm Emilie. Your usual sitter couldn't make it, so your parents asked me to look after you instead."

"Hello…" Alex murmured, hiding the lower part of his face behind his book.

Matthew wasn't joking about his kid being shy; it was actually sort of cute. "You seem like you're okay with your book right now, so I'll let you keep reading. I'll be downstairs if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded in understanding, watching her as she closed the door. Shaking her head with a huff of amusement, she returned downstairs to where her bag was sitting, digging around in it a bit until she pulled out her own book, The Princess Bride.

(Emilie had loved the movie when her friends had shown it to her, and as was her habit she was now reading the book version of it to see what the differences were. It was a guilty pastime, but one she'd never give up.)

In fact, she hadn't even noticed she wasn't alone in the living room anymore until she'd finished the first chapter; a brief creak drew her attention to the doorway that Alex was just ducking behind.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come downstairs. Did you want dinner?"

Alex peered back into the room after a minute, blushing lightly. " 'm not hungry."

"Oh, alright then," She patted the seat beside her. "Do you want to come sit with me?"

His eyes widened slightly at the offer, flickering from her face to the couch and back before nodding once; only after he'd clambered onto the couch next to her did she notice he was still clutching his book from earlier.

"What part of the book are you at?" Emilie asked, apparently reminding him that he was in fact still holding onto it and making the blush reappear.

"The troll. Harry and Ron just locked it in the room."

"Oh, that's a good scene. Do you like the book so far?"

Alex nodded, holding it close.

"That's good; it's one of my favorite series. I read all the books when they first came out. I hope you like all the other ones too."

"Thanks…" He then noticed her own book, still lying in her lap. "What book is that?"

"This?" Her hand settled onto it. " _The Princess Bride._ "

His nose scrunched slightly. "Is it a romance like dad likes to read?"

She laughed softly. "Sort of, but its also about defeating an evil king who wants to start a war."

Alex looked back to the book with much more interest, and with a smile she held it up slightly.

"Would you like to read it with me?"

"...okay."

By the time she was reading the last paragraph, it had gotten dark, dinner long forgotten in favor of the story. Alex was on the cusp of dozing off, leaning against her with half-shut eyes as he watched her turn the pages as she read. They both started when the front door opened, neither having heard the car pull into the driveway, signalling the return of his parents.

"We're home!" Eleanor called, focused on kicking off her heels in the doorway. "I hope Alex was- oh."

She'd finally looked up to the couch, only to see her son there sitting next to Emilie. The boy curled into himself slightly and waved. "Hi, ma."

"I see you two have been getting along." Matthew came in behind his wife, looking less surprised than her at the development. "Have you had dinner yet?"

"-Oh, I completely forgot!" Emilie placed a hand to her mouth, flushed in embarrassment. "We both just got so absorbed in the book that we lost track of time…"

"I can make you something really fast if you like," Matthew offered.

Emilie shook her head. "It's alright, I should be getting home anyways."

"You sure?" Eleanor glanced from Alex to Emilie. "We'd be making Alex something anyways."

"It's fine, really." She stood up, not noticing the pout Alex was now sporting, although his parents did. "Did you two have a nice date?"

"Oh, it was great! Matt found the nicest place to have dinner down by the park." Eleanor enthused. "How about you two?"

Emilie smiled. "Alex was a sweetheart. We managed to get through all of The Princess Bride."

A raised eyebrow. "That book? I thought he didn't like romance."

"I think he liked it more for the fighting scenes." Emilie grabbed her bag, tucking the book away and pulling it over her shoulder.

"Ah, that makes more sense." Eleanor pulled out her wallet, handing a twenty over to Emilie.

"Oh no, I couldn't-" She started, only to be cut off.

"Alex doesn't hit it off with a lot of people, especially as fast as he has with you. You deserve it." At the look she got, Emilie relented, taking the bill and tucking it away as well.

Alex had joined them at some point, rocking on his heels and biting his lip. Emilie crouched down to be level with him, smiling. "It was nice hanging out with you today, Alex. Maybe I'll be able to come hang out again sometime if your parents ask."

He nodded, hesitating before moving forward to hug her. "Bye, Miss Emilie." He then pulled back, paused, then placed a fast kiss to her cheek before flushing heavily and retreating upstairs.

Emilie blushed in startled amusement, while Eleanor cooed over her little boy's first crush and Matthew shook his head. Definitely an interesting evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First 'official' story for the blog and this archive! Friends who read it was reportedly 'died of fluff'. I believe that's a positive review.
> 
> Also, because I forgot to post it at first last chapter, the blog is the-amecan-icecreamery on tumblr. Go check it out!


	12. Friend in a Bottle (Cotton Candy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, this is why you don't mess around with old things if you don't know exactly where they came from.
> 
> NyoAme/2pCan
> 
> Posted April 10 2014

She found the old thing at a yardsale she'd driven by on the way home.

It was nothing spectacular at first glance - an old sealed jar that Eleanor had stumbled over (quite literally) while exploring, half hidden under one of the tables. Closer inspection revealed time-worn designs and symbols that were probably quite pretty and elaborate when it was first made, but now just left it a bit pathetic looking.

It would be a perfect gift for her cousin - he liked this sort of old stuff, anyways.

Her wallet was thirty dollars lighter when she slid back into her car, and she couldn't have been happier about it. (She'd also decided to grab an old little doll that was still in decent shape for her private collection.

Hey, there was nothing wrong with collecting dolls at her age, dangit!)

By the time she got home, she was exhausted, the long workweek finally catching up to her. She kicked her shoes off in the hallway haphazardly, the purse on her shoulder following them. The bag holding her new things was dumped more gently on the coffee table as she passed by, her feet taking her to the kitchen for a late meal a la microwaved leftovers.

It wasn't until the next morning, in fact, that she even remembered her purchase, having noticed it out of the corner of her eye while eating breakfast.

"These things need to be cleaned." Eleanor muttered to herself, nose crinkling at the dust on her hands when she pulled the old things out to get a better look at them. Really, was it that hard for people to clean their old junk before selling it?

She started with the doll, smiling as the washcloth revealed the smaller details that had been obscured before, finally setting it to the side once she was satisfied. The jar was cleaned soon after, even with the occasional pause to examine it closely.

"I wonder if there's something in it…" The weight and tightly sealed top both seemed to point to that being the case, although what it could be she had no clue. She doubted it was anything valuable - it'd been in a yardsale for crying out loud! - but nothing on the outside gave her any clue as to its contents.

Eventually she shrugged it off, setting it on the table as she got up to wash her hands. Whatever it was, it wasn't really her problem; if it was something special she'd probably know the second Alfred pried it open for himself.

What she did not expect upon coming back with a box to package it in was a weird (abet hot) young guy sitting on her couch, holding the old doll she'd left on the table up by one of its fragile arms so haphazardly it made her blood boil. Grabbing the closest thing she could find (which happened to be her umbrella), she approached quietly only to swing once she was within range.

"What the fuck was that for?" The man now sprawled out on the floor asked, matching her glower with one of his own.

"What do you think? You broke into my home and messed with my stuff, you freak!"

"You're the one who brought me in here!"

Eleanor scoffed. "Yeah, I just totally let some weirdo into my house without knowing about it."

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his baggy eyes. "I meant in the jar, stupid."

"Because that makes  _so_  much more sense." She couldn't help but glance over to the jar, though, noticing that the lid had come off at some point since she'd set it down.

Okay, a little bit weird, considering how tightly that thing had been sealed before, but not her concern at the moment.

The stranger opened his eyes again, looking straight into hers and making her realize that all she really had to defend herself with against this nutjob was an empty box and an umbrella. Damnit, why was her bat in the closet when she needed it?

(Oh, right.  _That_  incident.)

He held his wrist up, allowing her to notice the rather elaborate bracer on it. Only after noticing that did she also see the matching bracer on his other wrist and the choker around his throat. All three seemed to be made of highly decorated gold, three rubies a piece enclosed within the designs. Those each singlehandedly had to be the most expensive things she'd ever seen, and together-

"You see these? Until you either manage to come up with three wishes that don't go against my terms of service or you get rid of me and the jar through a fair trade, I'm stuck here whether either of us like it or not."

"Bullshit," Eleanor responded immediately. "If you're some sort of weird genie thing, then prove it right now by- fuck, I don't know, getting me a new TV or something."

He rolled his eyes. "Rule Seven - no riches or valuables. I can't just poof one into existence, and I'm pretty sure whoever I borrowed it from wouldn't be happy with either of us."

"Right, sure, whatever." She turned to go into the kitchen for the phone, hoping the delusional happy house escapee (because that's what he had to be, magic wasn't real) would stay long enough for her to make the call so she could return him before he went psycho-crazy instead.

...Only to slip and knock her head on the floor as the ground lost all friction under her. As she blinked herself out of her daze, she gathered enough strength of will to send a fierce glare at the guy who was watching with some amusement. Seriously, who did he think he was?

(...apparently, Alex.

And her new unwilling roommate.

Man was this going to be fun.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the random prompts/AUs I wrote down while browsing through the kink meme (which shockingly has a lot of good ideas once you filter out the porn aspects.) This one was a genie AU, and really other than one of the characters being switched out this could pretty much fit for that.
> 
> Basically, genie!Alex has a lot of restrictions on what he can and can't do (because the whole wish granting thing is a punishment for something, IDKW yet), and so he and Ellie and stuck together for a while. And then stuff happens and romance blooms. Eventually. Yeah.
> 
> (You know this is mostly for magical shenanigans.)


	13. Sick Days (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone wanted sick!Alfred with Mattie taking care of him. I can do that.
> 
> Posted May 4 2014

Alfred bit down hard on his lip to keep silent as his head throbbed painfully. He'd been perfectly fine when he'd gotten up (besides feeling a bit stuffy headed, but that was the norm considering his economy at the moment), although he had sort of skipped breakfast in his rush to get to the meeting with enough time to prepare his speech for the day.

(The fact that his stomach had rebelled at the mere thought of eating his usual meal had nothing to do with it, really.)

His side was pinched tightly, causing him to jolt and look guiltily to his neighboring seat. Matthew's previously chastizing glare faded a bit at it, looking him over. "Alfred, you alright?"

He grinned, teeth clenched as another wave hit him. "Just a bit tired; haven't had any coffee yet."

The Canadian's frown deepened, brows furrowed as he kept staring. Alfred fidgeted, looking away to see what he'd been missing. Apparently the person who'd been speaking (China, right? Why couldn't he remember…) had just finished, and several Nations were staring at him expectantly.

Oh, right. His turn. He so had this.

Ignoring the brief spin of the room as he stood up, he made his way to the podium, trying to remember what his speech was abou- right, economy, it was always economy. His notes were useless - they'd probably been printed from a bad printer, he could barely read them. Whatever, he could wing it, he'd done it before.

"Right, so this financial year is starting out great - we're starting to bring the debt under control…" He blinked, quieting as he tried to refocus on the others. "...should be able to start working on it by…"

He barely felt his head hit the podium on his way down.

~0~0~0~

Alfred woke up to fuzzy darkness. It took him a moment to realize he was staring at the back of his eyelids, and somehow managed to get them open enough to look at a slightly less fuzzy darkness.

His room? Wasn't he just at the meeting, or was that a dream? And why did his head hurt so much?

Ow, thinking wasn't helping. He shut his eyes again, trying to ignore the ache going through his entire body that was making itself known. Rolling onto his side, he grabbed a pillow and curled around it, reaching desperately for more sleep.

The knock on his door rang in his head, making him groan and curl further into himself. Light streamed in from the opening briefly, but thankfully it didn't fall across his face before it vanished with a click.

"Alfred, are you up yet?"

Mattie? He forced himself to reply, but even to his ears it came out as more of a groan than a word. The sound of something being set down on the bedside counter was followed by a dip in the bed beside him, a weight he desperately wanted to cling to right now if not for the lack of will to move at all. The covers were pulled away from his head, a cold hand pressing to his cheeks and forehead.

"Looks like your fever's going down…" The Canadian muttered quietly, ruffling his twin's hair against mumbled protests before turning back to the tray he'd brought in with him. "I made you something simple - I didn't know what you could keep down, so I figured soup would be safe."

"Y' didn' hav' to…"

Matthew huffed. "You're sick; you think I'm going to make you take care of yourself? Seriously, you shouldn't have even come to the meeting if you were feeling sick…"

Alfred was rolled gently onto his back, and with encouragement sat up with his back pressed against some pillows. A bowl was pressed into his hands, although he could tell his brother was still holding it with one hand even as he handed the American the spoon with the other.

Slower than he would admit, he managed to get most of the bowl down before he started to nod off again. The bowl and spoon were taken away, and as he curled back under the sheets he felt Matthew's hand gently rubbing circles in his hair. Shutting his eyes as Matthew started humming quietly, Alfred allowed himself a smile as he drifted off.

Maybe it wasn't too terrible to be sick after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No comment, just heaps of fluffy love. God these two are cuties.


	14. Domesticity (Mint Chocolate Chip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A request from someone, I think. Can't recall off the top of my head...
> 
> 2pAme1pNyoCan, demon/angel AU
> 
> Posted May 8 2014

"I'm home." Tommy called out to the house as he shut the door behind him with his foot, kicking off his shoes in the hall as he made his way towards the living room.

"Don't leave your shoes in the in the middle of the hall again," A softer voice reprimanded as he entered. "You know what happened last time."

"It's not my fault your old man didn't look where he was going and tripped; I thought angels were supposed to be graceful and all that shit." Never the less, his fingers snapped, a brief pop and clatter sounding behind him. He leaned down, planting a kiss to the top of Emilie's head. "How'd things go today?"

"A few more children are going to be taken in by good families by the end of the month; I've made sure all the paperwork will go smoothly for them."

"Mmm, that's good." Tommy rested his arms along the back of the couch to better watch her quietly weave a spell of protection through the matching necklaces in her hand. "Those for those twins you've been watching?"

"Yes," She admitted, a thumb rubbing the small wood crosses. "They've been through so much… I figured a little bit of good luck wouldn't be too much interference."

He chuckled. "You're such a softie, getting attached to humans all the time."

"Like you don't." Emilie muttered, pale blonde wings ruffling in as she turned to give him a glare with no heat behind it.

"Can't help that they're interesting nowadays." He took advantage of her attention to give her another kiss, this time to her lips.

"How did your day go?" She asked when they broke apart.

He shrugged, dark wings shuffling with the gesture. "Got a few politicians to look the other way for some deals, nothing special. 'm much more interested in you right now, babe." The comment was punctuated with a cocky grin, prompting her to roll her eyes.

"I'll think about it. Did you want to go feed the ducks tomorrow?"

"After we stop by the orphanage to drop those off?" He didn't fail to miss the slightly guilty look she sported at being caught. "Sure, that sounds like a plan. Maybe we can get some sherbet at that ice cream stand while we're there."

"Only if you pay for it."

"I can probably do that."

"Good." Emilie leaned over for another lingering kiss, her hand clasping his so that the matching metal bands on their fingers touched. "Now, I think it was your turn to make dinner…?"

Tommy groaned. "Thought you'd forgotten by now."

"I never forget a free meal." She smiled, tapping the side of his nose. "Now get to it, I know you're hungry too."

"Cheapskate." He muttered with no venom, making a show of reluctance as he finally stood up straight, stretching his arms and wings out completely before letting them fall back into place as he walked towards the doorway.

"I love you too." She laughed to herself as he left, shaking her head at her husband's antics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What flavors are you guys liking so far? Not that there's a ton up yet... maybe I should make a list and put it somewhere?


	15. Icemage (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AmeCan, fantasy AU, knight!Alfred and mage!Matthew
> 
> Something I did with my friend a while ago – we called it the Icemage AU because Mattie was, well, an Ice Mage. Sadly, he deleted a lot of HIS stuff, but I at least have all my own drabbles to share!
> 
> Posted May 15 2014

Alfred groaned as he climbed the last slope to the isolated tower, wishing that mages weren't quite so keen on making themselves as hard to access as possible; really, was it that hard to ask for at least a nice open path with no steep climbs?

And really, why was he the one assigned to find this 'Matthew' anyways? It didn't even sound like a mage-ish name, but more like some shop owner or healer or something. He privately bet the guy was an old fart like all the other magic users he'd seen come by the palace, talking in riddles and showing off with rather cheap party trick magics to impress the nobles.

Why did Arthur need this guy again? Heck if he remembered.

Naturally, upon actually finding Matthew in his tower and seeing how young (and attractive) he was, his first comment to the other was "Hey, you're actually kinda cute."

Not the best way to introduce oneself to a mage with some serious ice powers at his command, even if the flush that ran across his cheeks before he cast the spell was worth it.

~0~0~

He saw Alfred shivering even under the warm blanket he had around him; although the knight tried to hide it, Matthew was too experienced with the effects the cold of his northern home had on others to miss the obvious signs.

Alfred startled as the blanket lifted and arms wrapped around him, flushing and feeling warmer than even the shared body heat could account for as Matthew settled into his side under the sheet.

"I don't want you catching a chill," Matthew explained, and Alfred gave a jerk of his head, turning away to hide his blush.

~0~0~

They were ambushed in the middle of dinner; Alfred had barely caught the sound of crunching wood before the bandits were on them, his sword already pulling out of his sheathe to defend himself and Matthew before he consciously registered the enemy. His first swing was caught by the dagger of his opponent, and when the other dagger came around he caught the hand with his own and, using his impressive strength, broke the man's wrist before placing a well-aimed kick into the other's stomach and knocking him out.

Turning to Matthew with his sword raised to face his next opponent, he stopped, slack-jawed, to see the others had all been dealt with, locked in icy prisons with shocked expressions; as the mage turned to him, Alfred privately vowed to never get on Matthew's bad side if he could help it.

~0~0~

Alfred winced as the bandages tightened around his wounded leg, but waited patiently for Matthew to finish wrapping the wound before pulling it back.

"Thanks," he told the mage quietly, having expected to have to wrap it himself.

"You saved my life; it was the least I could do. Just because I'm an ice mage doesn't mean I'm heartless."

~0~0~

"Matt, that's not how you hold a sword."

Matthew jumped, turning sheepishly and pretending he hadn't been swinging around a sword of ice he'd made on a whim after seeing how Alfred fought with his own blade. "Well, I never really spent time with the soldiers while I lived in the city…"

Alfred just shook his head. "If you wanted to learn, you could have asked. Here, let me show you the ready stance-"

Matthew did a good job of hiding his blush as Alfred's hands settled on his own, moving the blade into position.

~0~0~

Matthew has raised his hood a bit higher, keeping his vision straight ahead; he knows without looking that the people he and Alfred are passing are staring at him with no small amount of disgust.

Alfred hadn't known - couldn't have known - that the people in this small town were largely magiphobic, but it was still easy to read the guilt in the knight's face, and Matthew gave him a reassuring grin that he didn't really feel himself.

Only when they were well away from the town did either relax, silently agreeing that other such towns would be avoided for the remained of the trip.

~0~0~

The question comes up over breakfast; Alfred had been curious for a while, but it was only today he felt comfortable enough to ask.

Matthew stared at his companion for a moment before looking down into his bowl, silent for another moment before answering.

Alfred had assumed it was something to do with Matthew's talent with ice spells; he was right, in a way, but hearing the story of bloody war made him begin to understand why Matthew wanted no part of political games anymore.

~0~0~

When the ice below Alfred breaks, sending the knight into the chilled waters beneath, Matthew didn't hesitate to jump in after, ignoring the cold in order to catch his friend. With a draw of his magic he was able to drag them both out of the hole and to the shore; stripping the shivering, still ice-shocked Alfred of his wet clothes took little time, nor did redressing him in warmer clothing and wrapping him in both their cloaks.

It took only another minute to get a fire started and Alfred sitting close enough to it to absorb its friendly warmth… then the waiting game began.

(When he felt still shivering, but thankful arms wrap around him later, he knew Alfred would be okay.)

~0~0~

" _Do you trust me?"_

" _Yeah."_

They sat across from each other crosslegged, knees almost bumping. Alfred rested his hands in Matthew's, palms up, waiting for the mage to go through with whatever thought had struck him.

"I know you don't really get what I'm saying when I try to explain my magic," Matthew told him softly, cool hands lightly gripping the knight's. "And that's not your fault, It's- difficult to explain to someone who doesn't have it."

"I do get it!" Alfred rebuked, though there was little heat behind it. "Sort of, anyways. What's that got to do with this?"

"I realized you work best from your own experiences." He paused, looking up. "Are you sure you trust me?"

The knight smiled, warming something in Matthew's chest. "Duh; you've saved my life how many times now?"

"This is different, though… I've never really - done this before with anyone, so I don't know if it'll work."

"I trust you, Mattie. You'll stop before I get hurt, right?"

"Of course!" Matthew's lips pressed together.

"Then there's nothing to worry about, right?"

He had no choice but to concede at that. "I guess."

The mage closed his eyes, breathed in deep, then drew in his power, slowly, as carefully as he could manage. The air around them cooled, their breath suddenly clouding between them. His hands - and Alfred's - start to glow a pale blue-white, ice starting to form along their sides.

The knight's arms started to shake. Matthew pulled away, but Alfred held on, gazing in wonder at the small film of ice weakly binding their joined hands together. "It's so soft…"

"You lips are turning blue." With that the mage withdrew all his magic back into himself, the air warming again as the late spring reclaimed the world around them.

"Huh? I wasn't really paying attention…" Alfred shivered, his body recovering its warmth now that the intruding chill had gone; Matthew draped the well-used cloak around his shoulders.

"I shouldn't have pushed so far; I'm sorry." The mage apologized, glancing away until a warm hand pulls him back to face the other man.

"It's fine; I didn't get hurt, see? Just a little bit of cold." Alfred's reassuring smile loosened something tight in Matthew, allowing his shoulders to slump in relief.

"...what was it like for you?"

Alfred sat back, clenching and unclenching his hand a few times. "It felt like… I was pushing my hands into a pile of snow."

"Snow?" Matthew had always felt his magic was more like a lake of ice - pretty to look at, but dangerous if one was unwary.

"Mmm." Alfred looked to the west, eyes focused on something far past Matthew's sight. "Reminds me of when I was a kid growing up. We used to get plenty of snow every year, and I would always try to jump into all the big piles of it I could find. I always got sick if I played too much, but it was still worth it, even when mom and dad got all huffy about it."

"Oh." The pale-eyed man had never really thought his sun-kissed companion had ever seen snow before, or played in it for that matter.

Alfred returned to the present, smiling and reclaiming a hand. "...thanks for sharing that with me, Mattie."

"No problem."

For Alfred, perhaps, he could be the gentle snow instead of the bitter ice.

~0~0~

Alfred knocked on the door, wincing slightly at the muffled "I'm not hungry" from the other side. Since they'd gotten here Matthew had become more and more withdrawn, reaching the same frosty aloofness that had marked their first days traveling together. And, Alfred knew, it was mostly his fault for dragging Matthew back here despite his protests against it.

He was determined to at least try to make it up, if only because he was really missing the Matthew he had gotten to know, who laughed at his antics when he thought Al wasn't looking, who had been willing to learn to swing a sword from him, who had-

Alfred cut off the train of thought before it could go further, knowing that his chances at anything like that were long gone at this point, but perhaps the friendship was still salvageable. Shaking his head, he pushed the door open, mildly surprised the mage hadn't iced the door shut.

"That's good then, because I forgot to grab something from the kitchens before coming up here."

Matthew turned, eyes widening, emotions flashing across them rapidly before he closed himself off. "What are you doing here?"

Alfred shrugged, opening the door further but not entering yet. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing, since we haven't talked since we got here."

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine, so you can go now." Matthew clipped. However, the light sheen of sweat was just now becoming apparent to the knight as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting.

"Are you sure? You look like you're starting to overheat. I could go see if I can get someone to draw you a cold bath-"

"I said I'm fine! Get out!" Matthew almost shouted, fists clenching.

"Mattie, I'm just trying to help-"

"Bullshit! If you were trying to help me, you would have left me in my tower when I told you no! If you wanted to help me, you would have let me go before we got here and I got locked in this gilded cage 'for my own protection'! The only person you're concerned about is the king, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to think otherwise!"

Alfred felt his stomach twist at the rage directed at him, swallowing before taking a step in to try and help him calm down before he overheated. Matthew had every right to be mad at him, he knew, but he hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

A hand was raised towards him, glowing blue. "I said. get. out!"

That was all the warning Alfred had before he was smothered in cold, the shock making him fall to his knees and gasp as his body desperately tried to keep itself from shutting down. After what felt like hours but was probably seconds, the cold left, leaving him shivering on the floor as he tried not to relive that nearly-fatal plunge into the frozen river from a month prior.

"A-Al?" He thought he heard Matthew mutter, but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to check. "Oh God, oh God oh god oh god, why didn't you run you idiot-"

A prickling sting about the size of a hand came to rest on his shoulder, another resting against his cheek. His eyes opened just enough to see fearful violet gazing back, and somehow he found the energy to manage a small smile.

Matthew let out a sob, moving forward to wrap Alfred in a tight hug, face pressed into his shoulder as he shook with tears. Alfred brought a protesting arm up to wrap around the slighter man's shoulders, holding him as a few of his own tears slipped loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's some stuff for my old Icemage AU. God I don't even know how many ways I ship these two anymore – brothers, lovers, best friends, queerplatonic, kiddie crushing...
> 
> For this AU, at least, I see them as not quite /romantic/? Like, they're super comfortable with each other and might have little affections like little butterfly kisses or cuddles but it's not like /love/ with all the deep kisses and sex and whatever else
> 
> it's... romantic friendship with not so much romance as just close affections?
> 
> ...am I making any sense with that, or am I just rambling?
> 
> (I guess I could describe it as like an AroAce type of deal except I don't think a=either of them are actually that way in this AU so yeah.)


	16. Waiting In The Rain (Cookie Dough)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happily ever after doesn't always come easily.
> 
> 1pNyoAme1pCan, human AU
> 
> Posted May 25 2014

" _Well, fuck you too, Williams!"_

_Slam!_

It'd been fifteen minutes since Eleanor Jones had slammed the door in her boyfriend's face, ending an argument that had started as a minor spat over groceries and ended up about pretty much everything. She huffed, still simmering as she kicked her feet, making the puddle growing under them spray out and away from her.

She could have been in a hotel by now, warm and dry and most importantly far away from Matthew's apartment. But even with the rain pelting down on her, soaking through her clothing and hair and shoes, she found herself unable to get up from where she sat on the steps to start making the walk.

'I should call a taxi,' she thought to herself, ceasing her kicking so she could slump over, head in hands. 'I don't even know where the closest hotel is to here, or if I can walk to it.'

Eleanor made no movement for her phone, though, leaving her to continue staring out at nothing in particular while she wallowed in the summer rain.

Her pride, wounded as it was right now, refused to consider going back up the stairs and apologize. Even as she cooled down enough to think over the fight, she could not bring herself to admit she could have been even a little bit in the wrong. It was stupid, but for now all she really wanted was to blame everything that had happened on him and his stupid macho 'I must repress my true feelings' attitude.

Her boyfriend might have been too stubborn to talk about things that were bothering him most of the time, but Eleanor knew she was no better in some cases. It wasn't healthy, for either of them - all it took was one wrong comment and then everything boiled over -

She wiped roughly at her eyes, scowling fiercely. God, this entire thing was just so stupid! She and Mattie were like bread and butter most of the time, so why did they always end up blowing up at some point? It wasn't fair - she and Mattie should be happy, but they - she - just kept fucking things up…

Maybe they just weren't meant to be, and this was the universe's way of letting her know she was being stupid for acting on all her fluttery feelings she got when he smiled or laughed. Lord knows it wouldn't be the first time she'd had poor taste in boyfriends - Ivan, Yao, heck, even Arthur had all seemed great at the time but had barely lasted a month apiece.

Yeah, she'd been dumb to get her hopes up when they'd reached their third month with few bumps to rough things up. And maybe the way he treated her like a lady but not a damsel was something she'd never gotten from the others, but that didn't mean anything if they couldn't even keep it together over something ridiculous like this.

'I wonder what Matt's doing right now...'

Knowing him, he'd already burned through all of his anger, and was now lying in bed cuddling that polar bear plush she'd won for him at the carnival they'd gone to last month. He adored the thing to bits, even if he'd been embarrassed at first to have it shoved into his chest by his entirely-too-smug girlfriend in front of other people. Matthew loved soft, sweet things…

Neither of which she was, Eleanor glumly reflected, the smile that'd started to soften her features and her mood disappearing with the thought. She was shaped by a lifetime of Little League and brash enough to face off against even the toughest of guys in school and come out on top. Not to say she didn't appreciate the occasional girly indulgence - no one liked gross nails! - but someone who could knock a linebacker for a loop was probably not what anyone could consider 'soft'.

He probably thought she was long gone by now. There was no reason to stay here. She really should be getting out of the rain before she got sick.

The rain abruptly stopped. She looked up to see a red and white umbrella blocking her view of the clouds.

"Hey." Matthew's voice was soft, almost drowned out by the rain battering against the fabric.

"Hey." She looked back down to her feet, not saying anything as he settled down on the steps next to her.

"You could've gone to a hotel, you know."

"I know."

They were content to watch the rain fall, the constant patter filling in the silence where they couldn't.

"...I'm sorry I snapped at you." Eleanor mumbled, pulling her legs up to her chest. "I know you hate it when I bring up Francis."

"I shouldn't have brought up your boyfriends either - I think we're even there."

She snorted. "We're a real pair, aren't we? Just keep going through this dumb circle of playing nice and practically ripping each other's throats out."

Matthew shifted next to her. "I- wanted to talk about that. About us."

Her throat tightened. This was it. They'd finally managed to break the last straw.

A deep breath, followed by a hand clasping hers. "I don't want to lose you, Ellie, but we have to stop fighting like this."

Eleanor tightly gripped the hand holding hers, worrying at her lip. "Yeah, we do. I don't-" A swallow. "I don't want to lose you, either."

"That's- that's good." Matthew released a sigh she hadn't realized he was holding. "I- I thought you'd be gone when I looked out here. Figured you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me after- that."

"I thought I would be, too. Guess I just couldn't walk away this time."

His hand slipped out of hers as he moved, his arms wrapping around her while his face pressed into the curve of her neck. "...we should go inside to talk. You're soaked."

She chuckled despite herself. "You're the one who's hugging me, though."

"I know."

He pulled away, reclaiming the umbrella as he stood up and offering her a helping hand. Her legs were numb from sitting on the concrete steps, and her chest was still roiling, but the soft apology he placed on her lips helped a little with both.

"Let's do it right this time."

"Alright."

It wasn't quite happily ever after, but it was good enough for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this prompt here [hetalia-kink.dreamwidth.org/82345.html?thread=508068009#cmt508068009] was asking for a post-argument scene where one of the characters ends up waiting in the rain outside instead of leaving. I decided 'what the hey' and decided to write a bit about an issue my friend and I agree would likely be an issue in any early AmeCan relationship.
> 
> That is to say, both of them sucking about talking about everything that's bothering them. Which, of course, leads to things eventually going 'boom'.


	17. Hello Mr Sunshine (Fudge Ripple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes weddings suck until they don't.
> 
> 1pAme2pAme, human AU, background 1pCan2pCan
> 
> Posted May 26 2014

Tommy could readily admit that the wedding had not been quite as bad as he'd been expecting. Sure, there were too many people he'd had to resist opening his mouth around lest he piss them off, and sure the happy new couple was so disgustingly cheerful it made Oliver's pastries taste plain in comparison, but overall it was, well…

It was okay.

(He was only thankful he'd been spared the honor of being Best Man - there were plenty of things he'd do for the asshole, but going up to the podium to describe exactly why you were so happy for the new couple was definitely not one of them.)

Right now Tommy was nursing a drink near the refreshment table, wishing it was alcoholic. He'd long ago been drained of any interest in socializing with all these people, and it was too early to slip away without someone noticing and likely getting on his case for it. Alex and Matthew were at a table across the room, close together and practically oozing happiness from every pore.

He looked away, frowning into his cup. Really, what was keeping him from leaving again? He'd come to the damn wedding, been all supportive of his friend and all that - what else was there for him to do?

' _Well,_ ' he thought, looking back up to the crowd that was dancing to something not quite at the frenzied pace he was used to. ' _I could always see if there's anyone down for a little fun._ '

His dark eyes scanned the room, evaluating and cataloging each form as his gaze passed over it. There were several he'd definitely consider a good lay based on looks, but Tommy was fairly certain several of them had come in with significant others, and the rest seemed too uptight to consider it.

Damnit, weren't these things supposed to be a good way to meet other people or something? Heck if he knew.

"Hey, can you hand me one of the glasses next to you?"

Tommy barely startled out of his thoughts, shaking his head as he casually grabbed one of the glasses of cider next to him. He handed it to the other without looking, muttering dismissively, "Here ya go, buddy."

"Thanks." The other man's hand seemed to linger on his just a second too long, prompting Tommy to look up.

' _Damn, hello there sunshine,_ ' was his first thought as the blond turned to the table to grab one of the opened cider bottles, pouring himself a drink before moving to sit against the wall next to him.

"Haven't seen you out there at all today," Sunshine commented, sipping at his drink. "Not the social type or something?"

"Nah," Tommy had finally found his voice again, wondering how he'd missed this guy when he'd freakin' been the Best Man for Matthew earlier. "Just not the type of place I usually like to socialize."

"Ah," Blondie replied, as if that explained everything.

Tommy licked his lips, missing the feel of his usual tongue piercing while wondering how long it would take to convince the other to leave with him. "Hey-"

"Alfred!" A woman slightly older than the two of them approached, smiling widely at the blond. "Don't tell me you've forgotten you owe me a dance!"

"Heh, sorry Liz," Alfred rubbed the back of his head, grinning apologetically. "Was just taking a break to get something to drink."

"Who's your friend?"

Alfred blinked, glancing back over to the brunet. "Ah-"

"Tommy Smith." He grinned, biting back his annoyance at being interrupted. "What's your name, babe?"

As expected, her face immediately scrunched into distaste. "Nothing you need to know. C'mon, Al, I heard the next song is one you like."

Tommy waved the two off, replying to the silent shrug and smile sent his way with a small shrug of his own. He had the rest of the evening to wait for Mr. Sunshine to be available again, and there was no use in wasting the time that could be spent devising the perfect attack plan.

No, weddings weren't too bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'm sort of on a roll here with the drabbles but to be fair I have like a hundred prompts and ideas I want to write so this is just me trying to work on a small chunk of them whoops…
> 
> Anyways, yeah, Alfred and Tommy meeting at an RVP wedding. I might write more in the future, but this was all I could think of for now. Hope you like anyways~


	18. Mirror Mirror (Coffee)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I can never get enough of Alfred and his inter-dimensional adventures. 
> 
> 1pAme2pNyoAme, dimensional travel
> 
> Posted June 6 2014

It'd been a long time since Alfred woke up to a gun in his face. His head was throbbing, his throat was dry, and he had an odd craving for chocolate milk, which made it take longer than normal for him to notice it was even there.

"Uh, I come in peace?" He lifted his hands in surrender, looking up from the barrel to the woman holding it.

Her lips pressed together in a frown. "Who are you, and what're ya doin' in my house?"

"I'm Alfred and I- ah, shit, I really didn't mean to end up here-"

The cold metal pressed a bit more into his head. "You're babblin'."

"-it's hard to focus when I've got a headache and a gun pressed to my head!"

The woman snorted derisively but lowered the gun slightly. "Talk, and I might get you something for that headache."

"Right, well," Alfred tilted his head back slightly. "I was testing a prototype Dimensional Bridge Device, and I- think there was a power surge? Because it got really bright, and then next thing I know I'm waking up here."

She stared at him a moment, before bursting out into laughter. "You seriously expect me to believe that load of shit? I'll give you credit, though, it's more creative than the last few assholes who thought they could steal from me."

"Hey, woah!" Alfred's hands quickly came up again, hoping desperately his natural regeneration wasn't going to end up tested in- well, wherever he was. "Can you at least, like, tell me where I am and who you are before you kill me?"

Her finger tapped lightly on the trigger. "Alright, I'll play along since you've managed to entertain me so far. My name is Abigail, and you're currently outside of New Amsterdam."

"New  _Amsterdam_?" God, he hadn't heard that name in a long time. "Wait, what country is this, anyways?"

"The American Confederation." Abigail rolled her eyes. "You can drop the whole 'other world' thing anytime now, ya know."

"Holy shit," Alfred whispered, gaze far away briefly as his mind ran through calculations. "It worked?"

His introspection was quickly knocked away when he felt metal once again pressed to his head. "While this has been fun and all, you're startin' to get on my nerves. Ya got any last words before I remove ya from my place for good?"

"Uh," Alfred reached for anything that would buy him more time. "Don't I get a last meal or something before I die?"

Once again she stopped in surprise, looking him over. "...I ain't cookin' you jack squat."

"It's fine, I have my own food." Reaching slowly into his jacket, he pulled out one of the burgers he liked to store in his subspace pockets for food emergencies, showing her it was just food before biting into it.

"...what is that?" She asked, drawing him from his forcefully slow chewing.

"A burger. What, never had one?"

Abigail looked down at it, nose crinkling briefly. "Is there  _meat_  in there?"

"100% grade-a beef." Alfred grinned, offering it out to her. "Want a bite?"

She hesitated, lowering the gun slowly while grabbing the burger with her other hand. After looking over the half-eaten burger meticulously, she took a hesitant bite only to immediately spit it out, face reminiscent of someone who'd just taken a bite of lemon without warning. "Oh my god, what the hell is in that thing?"

"Hey, don't diss Mickey Ds!" Alfred frowned, reclaiming his burger with a pout. "Their burgers are awesome!"

"That burger tastes like shit." Her gun reminded lowered though, looking at him much more thoughtfully. "You really weren't kidding about that whole dimensional thingy, were you?"

"Duh," It was his turn to roll his eyes now. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

"Trust me, there's not a lot people wouldn't try in order to get ahead around here." She smirked, hand on a hip. "But I can tell you there's no way anyone on this planet would have something that grease-filled on them casually."

"Seriously?" He frowned thoughtfully. "...what kind of place did I end up in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to write more of the 2p!Nyo babes, shame on me. They deserve more love and recognition, and I have failed them both up to now.
> 
> Just a dumb little ficlet, with Alfred being dropped headfirst into interesting situations as is the norm with him. Might write more, might not.


	19. Selkie Twist (Rocky Road)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone needs a little magic in their lives, including Marie.
> 
> 2pNyoAme2pNyoCan, human AU, selkie!2pAme & 2pNyoAme
> 
> Posted June 9 2014

Marie would never dare admit it, but she believed in magic.

She hadn't always been that way - her family had never been very supportive of flights of fancy, and had made it clear to her early on that entertaining such thoughts would be useless when she grew older and needed to find a respectable career. There'd been no bedtime stories growing up, no television time or game consoles - all of them were a waste of time and potential.

Sullenly, she submitted to their lifestyle, though she took a little gleeful pride in the sketchbooks tucked away in a hidden corner of her closet. Each page was decorated with colors and images of whatever caught her eye. It was relaxing, an escape from her otherwise boring life of perfect grades and dull family.

Her favorite place to draw was by the shoreline, her feet dangling over the small cliff that overlooked the rocky beach. She didn't have a chance to slip away here too often, but on those days she could convince everyone she was just studying somewhere else she would grab her sketchbook and dart through the woods to her special place.

None of this contributed to her belief though; not the way her stumbling across a group of what she'd believed were seals on one of her forays out to the private beach had been.

Marie was honestly surprised they hadn't heard her coming, but glad - she'd never seen the creatures outside of book or what rare show she was allowed to watch, and she hadn't realized they lived in the area. Still, it was an opportunity like no other, and without a thought she pulled out her book and began to sketch.

She was focused intensely on her work, enough so that when she next glanced up she was startled to see a person on the beach alongside the seals, none of them seeming to care much about the practically naked boy sunning with them.

She flushed and looked away, wondering how she'd missed hearing him walk up the gravel, because surely he would have caught her if he'd come the same way she had. Wait, was he even from around here? He didn't look like someone she knew - not that she knew many people, but…

Marie risked a glance back, only to see another person had appeared, this one female and just as naked as her - brother? They certainly looked alike with their dark skin and hair. The girl approached quietly, grinning ferally, before tackling the other person and waking him with a yelp. She couldn't help but watch as they wrestled, rolling around on the rocks without a care, before the guy took the opportunity to slip away and leap into the ocean with a grin.

She almost yelled out then - the waters were too cold for people to swim in, especially without any sort of protection - but her voice thankfully died away when a seal bobbed up instead of the boy, seemingly taunting the girl still on the beach. Marie could only watch blankly as the challenge was accepted, the girl diving after without a care.

' _Magic isn't real,'_  She told herself, looking back down to her book with a frown. ' _And if it was, you wouldn't be the one to see it.'_

She glanced back up to see the siblings back on the shore, both laughing as they flopped down side by side on the rocks. There was no making out what they were saying from here, but whatever it was was hilarious to the two of them, their teasing swats to each other fading as they fell asleep in the afternoon sun.

Her hand tightened around her pencil, reminding her what she'd initially been out here for. Looking between her book and the duo, she bit her lip in thought. She rarely drew people, but - if she didn't do it here, and now, would she be convinced it was all just a dream? Marie was already half-convinced of such, but still…

Her pencil barely touched paper when she heard the faint rustling of leaves, her attention drawn away from her subjects to a spot just down the beach, where she could slowly see someone emerge from the trees. She could feel a slow rage enter her the moment she recognized those shitty Chinese clothes.

' _Zhang...'_  There was no question that that asshole who thought he owned the school was up to something. God, the guy just pissed her off so much, it was a wonder they hadn't come to blows yet.

He was stepping quietly, approaching the duo with the utmost caution. She almost considered yelling to alert them to his presence, but to be frank she didn't want him to rat her out to her family in retaliation. It looked like she'd have to get creative, then…

Marie set her book to the side, standing up and stepping away slightly as he reached the girl. Pausing to see if she woke up, and grinning in his shit way when she didn't, he carefully unclasped the weird cloak-thing she'd been wearing and wrapped it up, pausing again when she moved in her sleep before silently and swiftly walking-

rights towards her. The Canadian grinned viciously, stepping back just a bit farther until she found the perfect ambush spot in a low-hanging branch, just about where his face would be. Pulling it back so that it was out of sight, she held tight, refusing to make a sound as the footsteps started to approach more quickly.

There was some satisfaction in the crack as the branch hit home, his startled face filling her with vicious glee before he was knocked unconscious. Not feeling sorry at all for the blood starting to seep out of his nose, she stepped over and grabbed the cloak-thing from him, kicking his side a few times for good measure.

"That'll teach you to be a sorry fucker…" She gloated softly, turning only to startle back at the pair of amber-red eyes staring straight back at her. "S _hit_! Don't  _do_  that!"

"Give it back." The girl told her, unamused.

"What- oh, this thing? Go ahead, I don't want it." Marie tossed it back without another thought, the girl stanching it from the air and clutching it tight while refusing to remove her now thoughtful gaze.

"You're different from other humans." The girl finally decided, grinning a bit ferally. Before Marie could respond the other girl had pressed forward, planting a kiss on her lips before pulling away with a breathless laugh. "I think I like you."

"Uh-" Was the eloquent response, Marie's face flushing with a myriad of emotions.

"Maybe I'll see ya around, yeah?" With that the girl vanished, disappearing back into the ocean with her brother and the other seals.

Eventually Marie shook her head, kicking the prone form beside her when he groaned before recovering her book and turning to head back home.

Fine, magic  _might_ be real, and it  _might've_  happened to her, but she was  _damned_  if she'd ever admit to either.

~0~0~0~

For her entire life, Abigail had considered the ocean her home. It was big and open and boundless and  _safe_ , especially these days, what with humans running about practically everywhere on land and in the sky and even on the ocean.

Bleh,  _humans_. Her face scrunched up, feet kicking at the waves lapping against them. She might look human without her skin on, but she wanted little to do with them and their- their- weirdness! Better to just stay in the ocean with her family and friends and not bother with such silly, dangerous beings, especially with her freedom at risk.

" _Give it back."_

_The light haired human turned to her, startling at her glare. "What- oh, this thing?" She then surprised Abigail by shrugging, throwing the precious object back to her. "Go ahead, I don't want it."_

And Abigail had left. No struggle, no fuss, nothing like what she'd been warned would happen if she let her guard down for a moment. To her mother's credit, that other human  _had_  been trying to mess with what he shouldn't, but…

" _You're different from other humans." The selkie decided, looking the girl over, and the thought wasn't bad; she smiled a bit awkwardly, still not entirely comfortable around a stranger, especially a human. "I think I like you."_

...she couldn't really justify what she'd done next, even to herself. It was just- spur of the moment. A thank you, with the only thing she really had to offer that would mean something similar between two very different beings.

Even with the casual farewell before she'd ducked away, she could still feel the embarrassment that had welled up once it hit her what she'd done. Of course, her absolute butt of a brother didn't help much, considering he'd seen most of what had happened.

" _So, sister dear," Tommy had started as soon as they're come back to land again, smirking wickedly as he leaned close. "How long have you been crushing on unsuspecting humans?"_

" _It's not like that!" Abigail had instantly denied, shoving his face away with a fierce scowl that only seemed to encourage him further. "I was just thanking her for not being as shitty as the other human."_

" _Sure, sure, whatever ya say," He agreed too easily. "So when're you goin' back to see her?"_

" _Who says I am?" She huffed and crossed her arms, pretending like she hadn't briefly considered the idea._

" _I think the blush you had when you practically ran for the water says that."_

_That was a fact she couldn't deny, much as she liked, so she chose to deflect the comment with another. "You know why I can't go back, even if I did want to."_

" _Yeah yeah, humans are dangerous and'll steal your skin and slice you open if they have the chance. Mom told me the same stories as a pup, you know." Tommy allowed himself to fall over so he was lying in front of his sister, frowning uncharacteristically as he looked up at her. "But look at what happened to you."_

" _I almost got captured because I let my guard down." Abigail frowned back. "I'm just lucky that human girl either didn't know or didn't care about what he took from me."_

" _Yeah, you did. When's the next time that's gonna happen?" She tilted her head to the side as she stared, not responding. Tommy sighed. "I'm just saying, maybe this one is worth getting to know. I dunno about you, but knowing more about humans seems like a pretty good way to know how to stay safe from them, yeah?"_

" _...I guess so." Abigail agreed after a moment's thought, the idea sounding rather clever once she actually thought about it._

" _And if she tries anything, you'll be able to get away as long as you don't go too far from the beach."_

And that had cinched it then, though now she was wondering just how safe it would be. On one hand, that girl and the human boy clearly were not friends, judging from the rather harsh treatment he'd gotten. On the other…

Well, it wouldn't hurt to keep an ear out for anything suspicious. Perhaps finding another meeting place that'd be more private?

Not that any of this would matter if the girl never came back to that spot. This was going to be trickier than she thought.

She bit her knuckle, wishing for a moment she hadn't agreed with her brother. "Damnit, Tommy… you'd better hope this stupid plan of yours works..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember what or where the original idea for this came from, only that I'd written down 'selkie twist' and a vague recollection of it involving someone stopping someone else from stealing the sealskin from a selkie and being rewarded for it.
> 
> Also, I need to write more 2pNyo babes. There simply isn't enough, and I should be ashamed of not adding more before now.


	20. The Worst of Friends (Neapolitan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do they keep getting into these messes, anyways?
> 
> 2pAme2pCan, human AU, Pirates of the Caribbean AU
> 
> Posted June 19 2014

"I hate you."

Thomas nodded, the cage they were hanging in swinging back and forth gently in the wind. It was almost serene, in a vaguely ironic way.

Alex continued on, unhindered by repeating the same complaints from an hour ago. "We were scott free once that curse was gone - we could've gone to the New World, made new names for ourselves."

Thomas glanced up towards the village, wondering if he was imagining the vague scent of smoke wafting from that direction.

"But no, you insisted that we walk straight back onto a ship - and not just any ship, but one captained by that lunatic Jack Sparrow-"

One of the other occupants of the cage, the pretty young blond who Tom would have considered hitting on if the man weren't so obviously devoted to his spitfire Canadian girl. "I have a plan!"

"What is it?" Thomas asked for the group.

"See those vines over there?" Alfred pointed to the cliff wall. "If we can swing close enough to that to grab the vines, we can pull ourselves up, free the captain, and make our escape."

The others in the cage glanced between each other, shrugging in unison. It was better than sitting around waiting to be eaten, at least. Alex turned to the other cage, cupping his hands. "Hey, we're going to try swinging for the cliff to grab the vines! You coming along or what?"

In the other cage, the sleep-deprived glare of Jean met his eyes, fingers momentarily twitching before nodding and getting up with the rest of the group in his cage.

"When we get out of this, I'm going to kill you, just so you know." Alex informed Thomas, even as he moved to help with the first swing.

"That's what you said last time," The dark-skinned man reminded, grinning.

They would be fine - they'd survived being zombies for God knows how long together, some measly cage time wasn't going to make the other seriously consider the idea.

...hopefully, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I randomized a plot from a plot/drabble generator post (captured by tribal people), and also rolled 2pAme2pCan.
> 
> Naturally, I had to write a Pirates of the Caribbean AU.
> 
> Enjoy.


	21. Life Sketch Modelling (Bubblegum)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, do those legs go on for miles! At least in Ellie's opinion, anyways.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pNyoAme, human AU
> 
> Posted June 21 2014

Eleanor scowls down at her fancy sketchbook, for the third time that week questioning her decision to go into fashion design.

When she'd first entered college, she'd been star-eyed, the only thing before her a life of designing gorgeous dresses and dashing suits, all eye-catching and demanding attention. Making her name headline news across the country - no, the world! Working with models like the famed Marianne Blanchett, or perhaps the renowned Angelique Leclair, or even - dare she dream? - the drop-dead gorgeous (and totally androgynous) Wang Yao.

The people she'd kill to design clothing for that man…

But reality had a way of crashing through one's dreams, much like how her cousin enjoyed crashing through paper banners they always had at the start of any of his football games. (Seriously, was he 25 or 5? Not even she could say for sure, and she knew the guy for most of her life.)

It wasn't being unable to get the classes she'd wanted - she had to get other undergrad studies out of the way anyway, and her most important class had still had room), nor was it the schedule, which sat nicely in the middle of the day and gave her time to wake up and time to relax after. No, it was the teacher, who for a life drawing class was a remarkable prude.

Eleanor had been prepared to deal with nudity, whether partial or even complete. One couldn't be afraid of a little skin when you needed to design around a person's body type and tone, after all, and it was better to get used to it in classes and college before she started pushing for an actual job.

But apparently Mr. Edelstein felt differently about the issue. When he couldn't just bring in some human-esque statue for them to portray as best they could on paper, the handful of actual models were fully clothed, with few hints as to how they actually looked or moved or- well, anything really. Not to mention they were all so - uninteresting. Bland.

The only reason she was passing was because she was too stubborn to drop the class.

Her book abruptly slammed shut, her face dropping into her hands as she groaned. This isn't what she'd signed up for at all, and she had no idea what to do about it.

She considered trying to sketch herself in front of a mirror and scowled - that only worked for maybe a handful of poses at most, as she could hardly draw and hold a good position at the same time.

She considered putting out a discrete offer for someone to model and choked - there was no way that wouldn't get misinterpreted, and she had no cash to pay anyone for it anyways.

She considered confronting the teacher and shuddered - there was no way she was risking her grades and her future on a guy who was less likely to change his mind than a rock.

So what was there to do?

There was a crunch of leaves, and she looked up into the face of beauty.

It took her a minute to realize the newcomer was asking her something, making her flush in embarrassment. "Sorry, what was that?"

McGorgeous's lips twitched, seeing through the flimsy excuse, but repeated herself. "I was asking if you knew the way to the registry office. The guy who was supposed to be showing me around ditched me, and this place doesn't seem to have a map anywhere."

"Oh! Yeah, that's just down the path over there, then the first door after you make a right into the big building." Eleanor bit her lip as she thought of how exactly to word her request without sounding like a weirdo.

"Thanks," And here McGorgeous smiled (though it was still grin-like), her body shifting slightly to rest more on a hip and oh man-

"Would you model for me sometime?" Spewed out in the span of a second, Eleanor clamping down on her mouth a second too late. As the smile briefly vanished into surprise the blond desperately wished she could sink into the ground or else just finally combust so as to avoid the sure embarrassment to follow. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to say that-"

"Woah, hold on there a sec," The other women held up a hand, face set into a light frown. "I didn't catch that- did you ask me to model for you?"

"I- well-" Eleanor squirmed a bit on the bench, wondering if she could at least keep herself from digging a deeper hole. "It's just that my life drawing teacher only brings in statues and really old guys to sketch and it's really boring and I don't have any money to pay for someone to model but you're really good looking and I really didn't mean to say all that-"

"You think I'm good-looking?" The woman's lips curled into a positively wicked smirk.

Well, crap. Why wasn't her mouth working right today? She straightened, at least attempting to regain a bit of her dignity. "Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?"

Eleanor was surprised when the woman started laughing. "I think it'd be worth it just for that. Dang, you've got it hard, haven't you?"

"I-"

The corner of the stranger's eyes crinkled in amusement as she bent over to pinch a flushed cheek. "I'll consider it, dollface, but only after you buy me dinner."

The woman was already walking off, lazily waving goodbye before Eleanor caught up to the situation.

"Hey, my name's Eleanor, not dollface!"

The woman stopped, looking over her shoulder with the same amused grin. "You can call me Abigail then, dollface."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …okay, I have no excuse for this really. I just decided that lesbians and model/artist AU went together really well, and well.
> 
> Yeah. They go together really really well


	22. We Can Do It Again (Cookies N Cream)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it once...
> 
> Canonverse, 1pAme1pNyoCan, WW2
> 
> Posted June 28 2014

The first time Alfred visits her after the news arrives, Emilie's normally impeccable hair is already stained with grease, black and brown smudged across her face and arms.

(She still so beautiful, he thinks, running a hand through her hair and ignoring how it comes back just as grease-stained.)

The desperate kisses placed to her lips tastes of oil and salt, and he holds her close before asking her for a date.

She accepts.

They sit together on the edge of one of the lakes they share, bare feet skimming the water gently lapping up against the small overhang.

"You know I don't have a choice, Al." Emilie's voice holds no tone of resentment.

"I know you don't, Em, I just-" Alfred holds her hand a bit tighter. "It's not fair that you have to be dragged back into their wars because they don't know how to stop fighting each other."

"War is never fair, to us or to our people."

Alfred says nothing for a moment. "At least you don't have to go overseas."

"I don't want to lose any more of my people than I need to, and Arthur and Marianne and the others should have the armies to hold Germany back."

"Should?"

Emilie sighs, leaning against him and squeezing his hand. "They'll be fine without us. We can just wait out the war here while we send supplies overseas."

"I hope so." He leans against her as well, resting his head against hers as they continue to watch the lake ripple.

Before they leave, Alfred takes a small measure of happiness from carefully washing away the smudges she'd missed in her haste to clean up. It was almost as good as cleaning her of the stain of hard work and war that she shouldn't have had to go through again.

Emilie just smiles, understanding, and doesn't protest the gesture.

(Part of him wishes she had. Part of him doesn't.)

~0~0~

The second time he rushes up to see her, France has fallen, and England has called for his colonies to serve again.

Emilie is clean again, hair neatly dressed into a simple bun, topped off with the nurse's cap that goes with the rest of her uniform.

"You can still serve from home!" Alfred wants nothing more than to whisk her away, down into the south where they can be happy and free from concern about involvement in the war. To be able to pretend, even for a year or two, that they're a normal pair of lovers enjoying the flush of youth and potential.

Neither of them would be happy, though. Not when they must be Canada and America again, not when he knows deep inside that nothing he does will keep her - or even himself - from eventually being dragged into the fight in one way or another.

Emilie smiles, sad. "Arthur needs me at his side. He needs all of us."

' _He needs you too'_  is left unvoiced.

' _I need you more'_  is also left unsaid.

"Stay safe, babe."

' _I love you.'_

"Look after my people for me, alright?"

' _I love you, too.'_

"I'll keep 'em safe until you get back, I promise."

' _Come home soon.'_

A butterfly kiss is pressed to his lips, her expression apologetic.

"Thank you."

' _I will.'_

The way she holds her head high as she turns away, entering the small plane destined for a small island stronghold overseas, is beautiful in a terrible way. A salute seems the only appropriate way to wave her off.

~0~0~

The news reaches Emilie three days before his next letter.

There was nothing about Pearl Harbor in Alfred's still-optimistic letter.

There was nothing about Alfred in the brief report handed to Arthur.

She sheds a silent tear in the privacy of her tent later, knowing that even as she read the innocuous letter about how the kids down the street had put together their own baseball teams and their intense matches with the kids a few blocks over, Alfred was donning a uniform and a warworn expression as he entered the war after the one that was supposed to end it all.

Her next letter to him doesn't ask what happened. Or any other one she sends for that matter. Emilie isn't sure she wants to know what happened to Alfred, and the other Nations never offers. Instead their messages are brief, delayed by oceans and the ordered chaos of war.

(She thinks she sees him once, with the other American pilots that have stopped to refuel before resuming their bombing missions, but it is only a glance on her way to the makeshift hospital, and by the time her shift is done they are long gone, somewhere over Poland liberating a country and Nation doubly betrayed.)

Even though she has not seen direct combat for most of the war, it still shows in her exhausted face and shivering hands. The only thing keeping her centered are the brief letters where Alfred still shines through, even among the tense notices and inquiries from America.

(Emilie had asked, once, whether America was protective of Canada because of Alfred being protective of her, or the other way around.

The befuddled expression he'd donned with that question told her he didn't know either.)

(She wasn't sure how to feel about that.)

Though her gaze always flickered skywards for the rest of the war in Europe whenever the sound of engines reached her ears, she saw no sign of Alfred's plane (not that she knew which it was, truthfully.) It was reassuring all the same, giving her something to focus on besides the greatly-weakened Marianne under her care.

The last letter she receives before she is allowed to go home tells her Alfred has long gone West, to the other side of the world. Marianne's lips twitch up when Emilie reads it aloud for her, but says nothing as the younger Nation composes her own letter back, ultimately reading, "Going home. See you soon. Good luck."

She hopes her unwritten message is understood.

~0~0~

It's hard to adjust to civilian life again after the war, even for Emilie. Her hands still sometimes have the blood of the dead and dying on them, her nose still clogged with smoke and iron, her ears still ringing with gunfire. Her bed is large and empty, and never quite warm enough to make up for the lack of the person who should have been there.

(She can't blame him, though - she imagines his bed wasn't much warmer after she left.)

The day the newspaper tells her how Japan surrendered shatters her last hope of things going back to normal after the war. That one gesture - more than the combined exhaustion of Europe's people and economies, more than the way Ivan smiled over his new domain - tells her that everything has changed, and she doesn't know whether it's good or not.

Emilie receives his final letter mere hours before the knock on her door. Alfred is worn, still dusty and scarred from combat, but his eyes and face alight on seeing her face, and it's enough for her to ignore everything else and wrap tight around him, not caring who saw as she released all her fear and joy and frustration and relief in one solid, lingering kiss.

"Hey, honey," He whispers once they break apart, smile softened into something familiar to them both. "I'm home."

"Welcome back," She replies, reaching up to thread a hand through his hair. "I missed you."

There is time, later, to catch up as Nations, to inform each other and their bosses of what the rest of the world was like when they last stepped past their watery barriers.

But for now, they are just Emilie and Alfred, two reunited lovers at last home from war.

And that is more than enough for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another request from princessofthereach, this one for Ame/NyoCan during WW2. Hopefully this is something like what you wanted dear!
> 
> Let me tell you the first part took forever to write out without it seeming awkward or jarring. Bluh.


	23. The Punk and the Princess (Chocolate)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not quite sure if 'Once Upon a Time' really fits here...
> 
> 2pAme1pNyoAme, human AU, some minor gang stuff
> 
> Posted June 30 2014

First things first, let it be made completely clear that Tommy (NOT Thomas,  _thank you very much_ ) was a badass among badasses. A king of badasses, in fact. He'd made grown men cower before him, and his gang all but controlled a neat little chunk of the town. Many of their projects were just barely legal, as far as the police or any other do-gooder was concerned, and really that was all they needed to know about anyways.

Tommy had run the Blackhawk gang for three years alongside his smartass of an older sister after their father had played just a bit too fast and loose and bit the bullet for it. Though the two often grated on each other's nerves, as any good siblings were wont to do, they tolerated no bullshit from any of their lessers or rivals who dared try to play them against each other.

Blood is thicker than water and all that.

At nineteen, he had five tattoos, one of which was naturally the black hawk on his shoulder that the gang was named for, and another he only showed to less than polite company. His tongue and ears were both pierced as well (not his nose, though - that was just cheesy looking. He wasn't a pirate, for fuck's sake!), metal studs that added just the right sort of flair to his no-fucks-given attitude.

One of the best parts of it all, of course, was that so few of his 'classmates' realized that his attitude was anything more than the standard punk assholishness, and none of the teachers who actually had a clue were included to inform the poor suckers otherwise. Who would, after all, suspect a guy who was 'all bark and no bite' to be in charge of one of the toughest gangs this side of the city?

To the common rabble, he was a tool, easily dismissed.

To his gang, he was a leader; fearless, unphasable.

To his sister, he was-

"-completely head over heels for her, aintcha?"

Tommy tore his gaze away from where he'd been looking, leveling an incredulous look on his sister. "Excuse me?"

"I said," Abigail repeated slowly, grin widening. "That you are completely head over heels for that pretty blonde chick that just strolled by."

"What? I- no way,  _fuck_  that, you know I'm a free man!" When her expression didn't change, he slumped slightly, scowl carved deep. "She just- looked familiar 's all."

"Right, so that's why you were practically drooling for the past three minutes."

"Shut up!"

Abigail cackled, swatting away all of her little brother's swings at her. "My little brother's all grown up now, isn't that just adorable!"

"I'm going to fuckin' push you off a bridge you goddamned harpy-"

After a brief scuffle (which Tommy definitely won, no matter what anyone said), the matter was dropped and the two continued on home.

He couldn't help but send one last glance down the street where the strange young blonde had gone, though, wondering just why she seemed so familiar…

~0~0~

His question was, funnily enough, answered not a week later, when he was caught (again) smoking in one of the outdoor hallways near the edge of the college.

"Do you really need to smoke here of all places?" An annoyed voice asked.

Tommy chuckled, deliberately taking a drag and breathing the smoke out, not bothering to glance in her direction. "And what's it to you, lady?"

He heard her huff, followed by a weak cough from the smoke. "I'm trying to get to class, but you're in the way."

"Oh, I'm sorry princess," Tommy drawled, casually pushing himself off the wall in order to bow in a mock of chivalry. "Lemme just get out of… your…"

He'd finally taken the chance to look at her, his attitude fading into shock as he recognized the women from the other day, and finally placed where he recognized her from.

"...Ellie?" He asked before he could think to stop himself.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed, then widened, her hand coming up to her mouth. " _Tommy?_ "

He was completely baffled, trying to reconcile the dirty little nine year old he used to rough around with with the sexy bombshell before him right now. "Holy shit, I didn't even- when did you come back?"

She smiled, seemingly forgetting all about her past irritation with him. "Just last month! Papa moved jobs again so we're back here! Just in time for me to start college, too."

"I- wow, I didn't-" He swallowed, desperately trying not to think too much about how really really nice it would be to see if those lips were really as soft as they looked. "What was it like over there?"

"Nice," Eleanor admitted, sighing wistfully. "The weather was really pleasant, and I made some good friends, but at the same time it's really nice to be back. How about you?"

"Huh?"

"Anything exciting happen with you since I left?"

"Uh," Tommy balked, not wanting to admit to his… less than lucrative lifestyle. "Not much really. Pops died, so Abby and I 've been doing some part time jobs stuff to support ourselves."

"Oh no!" Her expression dropped in sympathy. "I'm so sorry - if there's anything I can do to help-"

"It's fine, really," Tommy held his hands up against the offer, grinning weakly. "Nothing we couldn't handle on our own."

"If you're sure." Eleanor pressed her lips together. "Hey, did you want to-"

"Ellie!" Both of them turned to see Eleanor's older brother approaching, backpack slung over a shoulder as he waved. Tommy scowled, cursing himself out for forgetting about Matthew - not that he was to blame, the guy had been a serious wallflower while Tommy had known him. "We're going to be late for class- and who's this?"

The young woman either failed to notice the glares being exchanged between the two young men or was electing to ignore it, turning her smile on her brother. "It's just Tommy, silly. Remember him?"

"Yeah, I remember. Didn't he keep getting you in trouble when we were kids?"

"Pshaw, we were just messing around, not my fault Dad's so protective." She tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "I never got into any serious danger."

"He took you to the  _bad_  side of town. Repeatedly." Matthew frowned more, briefly intensifying the glare sent at Tommy.

"It's not his fault his parents lived there!" Eleanor defended. "You can't just judge him because of where he grew up!"

"I sure can by the way he dresses, though…" The older man muttered, obviously glancing to the studs and leather jacket.

"Aw, don't get all worked up over lil old me, Matt." Tommy grinned, resting a hand obviously on Eleanor's shoulder. "We were just catching up a bit, right Ellie?"

"Yeah!" Ellie agreed. "Did you know he and his sister have part time jobs now?"

" _Just peachy_." Matthew grit out. "We're going to be late for class if we don't get going though."

"I know, I know…" Eleanor sighed, gently removing the hand on her shoulder. "We'll catch up another time, alright?"

"Just lemme know when you have free time and I'll be there."

"Sounds good!" WIth one last smile and a fast hug, Eleanor took off towards her class, waving over her shoulder. Matthew followed, but not before leveling one last glare on Tommy and mouthing a ' _We'll talk'_  at the brunet.

Tommy just waved after them, perhaps a touch less ironically than he otherwise might have.

At least, until his sister's words suddenly smacked back into his head, causing him to groan as he realized that she was right, the freakin' ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the oldest story ideas I decided to write down on my great big list of prompts, inspired by a kink meme prompt [on Part 24 Page 40 – you'll see it] (though obviously altered for my needs, ahaha). When I got the random pairings of 2pAme/1pNyoAme alongside the prompt…
> 
> Well, I was really really pleased with the results, let's just say. Hopefully you all enjoy as much as I did!


	24. Silver Screen Stars (Orange Sherbet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some are eased into greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them...
> 
> 2pNyoAme2pCan, human AU, Celebrity AU
> 
> Posted July 4 2014

Even though they were still several blocks from the theater hosting the premier showing, there was already a noticeable increase in the number of people crowding the streets, many turning to wave or cheer gleefully as the limousine passed by.

"Aw look, our fans are waiting for us already." Abigail leaned back in her seat, looking out at the people with an amused smirk. "Think you're ready to be greeted by all of them yet?"

Alex, seated across from her with a less amused expression, simply groaned. "And here I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with all of them today."

"That's what ya get for making it to the big screen, hot stuff." She flipped a stray lock of hair back, turning her grin on her companion. "Endless adoration and stalking by the public for their and our amusement."

Abigail was three years Alex's senior, and in the movie business since her teens - she'd long gotten used to navigating the public sector and the movie world with her sharp tongue and wit by the time the relative nobody had suddenly gotten thrust into the limelight thanks to a lucky break co-starring in the big hit of the year with her.

He'd been so off-guard and vulnerable, the poor guy. Abigail hadn't had a choice but to take him under her wing and show him the ropes before the media harpies (and the other actors and actresses around) sank their claws into him and his private life too much.

(If she had the additional benefit of a hot young thing on her arm at public venues where all could see, well, that was just a lucky break, wasn't it?)

Alex crossed his arms, turning away with a sigh to look out the window. "I don't even get why they suddenly need to butt into my business. I can't even go to the freakin' store anymore without a dozen photographers trying to get a shot of me buying a loaf of freakin' bread."

Abigail rolled her shoulders in an imitation of a shrug. "That's what they're paid to do; people want to be just like you, so they have to know all about you to do it."

"Like that's not creepy sounding at all…"

"You'll get used to it. If you stay on the big screen, anyways."

Even if he decided to stay a one-hit wonder, Abigail was considering keeping him around if only for the decent conversation. So far he seemed to be the only star around her age who saw the media for what it was, and he had the makings of being one of those lucky guys who stayed hot well into their later years.

Not that she wasn't looking forward to the same; any good looking couple has to match, after all.

(The 'couple' part was still a work in progress, though, but what a fun work it was!)

The limousine rolled to a halt, the people outside all but screaming as they barely kept themselves behind the rope barrier separating them from the red carpet. Several bodyguards took position while the driver came around to open the door for the duo, and Abigail's smirked softened just a hint at the wince from Alex when the barrier keeping most of the cacophony outside was removed.

Expressing sympathy wasn't really her style, though, so instead of a comforting work she just laughed while gesturing to the waiting crowds. "Anytime, hot stuff."

He sent her a sharp look, but relaxed slightly, giving her a smirk in return as he donned his public face (which he'd soon master thanks to her). "Ladies first."

"Oh, what a gentleman." She cooed, fluttering her eyelashes as she moved for the door. "You're much too kind, sir."

Once they were both out Alex took her arm, the both of them playing nice and waving to the crowds as they walked down the longest thirty feet of red carpet yet. They managed to only be stopped twice for photoshoots, and also avoiding signing anything on the way in, minor victories both in their own right.

The Canadian actor slumped once the doors and crowds were out of sight, rubbing at his face (which was developing just a hint of stubble, to Abigail's pleasure). "At least that's over with."

"At least until after the movie." Abigail agreed, ruffling his hair and laughing when he swatted her hand away and gave her a dark look. "But hey, two hours of general peace and a good movie? Practically heaven."

Alex shrugged. "I don't think it counts if you're in it, though."

"Naw, it totally counts. How do you think I decide if a movie's worth watching or not?"

"Bit of an ego, much?"

She settled into a dramatic pose. "I can't help it if I'm just that attractive and talented an actor, now can I?"

Oh yes, ending that was a flirtatious wink was definitely the right way to go about it, if the brief redness of his face meant anything. Whatever happened, he was definitely worth keeping around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, more 2p and 2pNyo characters, and another of my many many drabble ideas written out. This is my Celebrity AU (or at least a part of it?), with this scene focused on Abigail and Alexander. I'm really really becoming fond of Abby; she's just so - confident and brash and awesome all around.
> 
> I'm still considering whether I should start considering exploring other pairs / characters in some of my AUs and such - should that be a thing?
> 
> Ah whatever, happy Canada Day / Freedom Day everyone.


	25. Evening Habits (Coconut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking care of your hair is serious business.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pNyoCan, fluff
> 
> Posted July 7 2014

Even though she was tired, the last thing Marie really wanted to do at the moment was fall asleep. Partially because she was still sitting up and she had a good chance of falling off the bed, but mostly because Eleanor would pout for the next week if she fell asleep in the middle of their little hair brushing ritual  _again_.

That didn't keep the rhythmic feeling of the brush combing through her hair any less soothing, though, the light crinkle of hair falling back into place as the brush pulled away offset by the short-haired blonde's quiet humming. Even the rare snarl didn't really pull her from her doze, careful fingers untangling each as it was encountered before the brush resumed its pace.

"Hey, you still with me?" A teasing voice asked, making Marie grin lightly in response.

"Lucky for you I am, princess." The brush pulled away, allowing the Canadian to turn to look at her girlfriend.

Ellie's lips turned down into an adorable pout. "You're the one who's getting her hair brushed."

"And you're the one who enjoys doing it." Marie gently shot back, punctuating it with a short kiss.

"Well, you do have nice hair," The American agreed, now wearing a smile as she played with the ends of her girlfriend's hair. "And someone has to make sure you take care of it, since you're too lazy to do it yourself."

"My hair was just fine as it was."

"You washed it maybe twice a week.  _Twice_." Eleanor squished Marie's cheeks together a bit, mock-serious expression in place. "You hair was begging for me to rescue it from its misery."

The Canadian rolled her eyes, but her amused tone denied any genuine irritation. "I'm sure it thanks you everyday for your noble services to it."

"Damn straight it does," Eleanor agreed, releasing her girlfriend's face before placing another brief kiss on her lips. "And I got the sweetest girlfriend ever out of it, too."

Marie huffed. "You say that like I didn't donkey punch a guy for groping you."

"Like I said, sweet. Noble too. Almost like a princess..." Eleanor teased, eyes sparkling.

"Don't you start something you aren't ready to finish."

The American pushed forward, meeting the warning with a wicked grin as she leaned close. "But what if I am ready to finish it?"

"Well then," Marie matched her girlfriend's grin with one of her own, leaning just close enough for their lips to brush, but only that. "Let's just hope you can handle it."

Any response Eleanor could have given was lost as their lips met for the third time, this one lasting much, much longer than the ones before. Really, though, that was enough of a response itself to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short little drabble based on a prompt from Part 15 Page 15. I really need to work more on my 2pNyoCan characterization, because I'm not quite sure what I want to do with her yet. :C
> 
> Still, enjoy fluffy lesbians in all their fluffitude. I guess.
> 
> (Maybe I should actually start tossing smaller drabbles of the same ship together... hrmm...)


	26. Unwinding (Fudge Ripple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because no matter where you are, alcohol tends to be a favored way to relax after a long week.
> 
> (Sorta set in the 'Across the Mirror' 'verse)
> 
> 1pAme2pAme, canonverse(ish), alcohol
> 
> Posted July 9 2014

"Cheers," Alfred raised the bottle in his hand, slouching back against the side of his bed.

Across from him, Tommy mimicked the gesture and the cheer before taking a long swig from his own bottle.

"Things going okay for you lately?" The blond asked after a moment, sipping at his drink.

"We apparently aren't about to get into another war, so that means I actually get to keep most of my shit this year."

"Man, wouldn't that be a nice change of pace."

Tommy huffed. "At least yours actually fix shit; the only thing war does here is make resources rarer than they already are, which means-"

"Even more war." Alfred sighed, giving the other a wry smile and a shrug. "Wish I could do something to help with all that, but, well."

"Eh, you listen to me bitch about it all, that's good enough for me." The brunet finished off a bottle, setting it to the side and grabbing another, toying with the top but not quite popping it open yet. "Though I'll say I definitely wouldn't mind one of those tablet things."

"I'll put it on special order for you."

"You're too nice to me," Tommy blew a kiss to Alfred, who chuckled while the other opened his drink to take a sip. "What's been going on with you?"

"Urgh," The blond closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "New record levels of bitching from Europe, and I think if my politicians get any more useless I'll have to seriously consider burning down the government myself."

"If you do, show me the footage, I need the entertainment."

"Will do." Alfred sighed again, taking a larger swig of his drink and polishing off the bottle.

Tommy idly swung his half-empty bottle back and forth, watching the liquid inside splash around. "Alex 's been gettin' antsy lately. Giving me weird looks."

"Do you think he knows?"

The brunet snorted. "Please, that guy wouldn't believe in magic if it bit him in the ass. If anything, he might think I'm thinking of being rebellious again."

"Aren't you always?"

The joke fell flat, Tommy frowning as he continued to stare at his drink. "I don't have the manpower or the luck to break away from him like you did with your England way back when - I never have. You had an ocean protecting you, but what do I have? A piece of paper with a line on it?"

He snorted, setting the bottle down as he looked Alfred in the eyes. "I'm his resource bitch and the world knows it. I can't even take a piss without him finding out, never mind organizing any sort of militia resistance. Which is why I'm wondering why he's getting so suspicious when I haven't even tried anything in the last hundred or something years."

The blond shook his head. "It could be stuff in his own country making him paranoid."

"Mmm," Tommy tilted his head back, letting it rest against his bed. "Maybe."

"I'm sure it'll blow over soon." Alfred affirmed with more confidence than he felt.

"Maybe." The brunet repeated, bringing the botting up for a sip before setting it back down at his side.

When his counterpart made no inclination to move or respond further, the blond sighed, scooting over so he was closer to the glass between them. "I dunno if I ever told you this but… thanks for talking with me for all these years."

Tommy brought his head back up, giving Alfred a confused look as the complement took its time registering, an embarrassed blush creeping across his nose. " 't was nothin', I figured I was getting the better end of the deal here, really."

"Still, someone who'll actually be honest to my face… I can't really get that here. So… thanks."

As immersed as Alfred was with his knee, he failed to notice the brief twinge of guilt cross Tommy's face before it smoothed away. "Always glad to help, porkchop."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the prompt I had written down for this was 'drinking and relaxing together', but it came out more 'drinking and bitching about life together'. Oh well.
> 
> Some days I really want to explore more into how I see the 2p universe but honestly where the fuck do I even begin like what? So yeah just have this instead.


	27. Just Another Meeting: prequel (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another French!Mattie bit, because the world can never have enough of that.
> 
> Posted July 21 2014

"I hope your recovery goes well, Al." Matthew smiled, finishing the last of the coffee he'd been offered before setting the cup down and standing.

"Thanks, Matt," Alfred stood as well, biting back a wince as his still recovering wounds pinged at the movement. "Hopefully we can keep in touch without anything else causing a mess."

"That'd be nice," The Canadian agreed, walking alongside his brother without being obvious about it until they reached the door. "I was starting to worry you might not make it."

"Psh," The southern twin laughed weakly. "It'd take more than that to get rid of me."

"Mmm, chance pour moi…"

"What was that?" The American frowned, tilting his head.

"Nothing, nothing." Matthew paused in the middle of turning away, looking thoughtfully to his brother. "Oh, before I forget, I have something for you."

Alfred blinked, curious as to what the other Nation could have brought him, before going shock still as the Canadian stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and pulled him into a short, lingering kiss. He didn't even see Matthew's mischievous smirk as he pulled away, too busy trying to figure out what had just happened and whether he was about to burst into flames from how hot his face felt.

"Au revoir, mon lapin!" Matthew turned away, waving lazily over his shoulder as he hummed something upbeat on his way to the front door. "We'll talk later!"

~0~0~

Later, it turned out, was several years later, when Alfred ended up inviting Matthew down for his centennial party. The two interacted politely together and with the other Nations who had shown up throughout the main event, though the Canadian could see his brother was impatient to talk to him about something.

About what, it wasn't too hard to guess.

Eventually they found the opportunity to step to the side, out of sight and hearing of the rest of the party. Matthew patiently waited for Alfred to finish shifting on his feet and bring up the subject already-

"What did it mean?" The American blurted out, finally bringing his focus entirely on his brother.

"What did what mean?"

"You- the kiss! From when we last saw each other! Remember?"

"Of course," Matthew tilted his head slightly, smiling. "What do you think it meant?"

"I-" Alfred cut himself off with a frown, gaze flickering away briefly to some other memory. "Do you want something from me? Money? Land? Trade agreements?"

The Canadian startled back, wondering where that idea had come from, only to know the answer by the way Alfred hadn't looked back to him yet. "I'm not Francis, Al, any more than you're Arthur. Besides, I can't make trade agreements without Arthur's permission."

"Then what do you want?"

Clearly work was going to be needed, but this would be worth it, he knew even now. "This."

And with that he pressed his lips to Alfred's again, placing his hands on the other's waist as he pulled away. "Just this."

"Just this?" The southern Nation never looked away from his face, and Matthew could swear he saw a glimmer of hope somewhere in there.

"Just this." His hands slid a bit lower, squeezing with an only slightly apologetic smile. "And maybe this at some point, too."

"Mattieee…" Alfred whined, flushed a bit at the gesture.

Matthew couldn't help but laugh before pressing in for another kiss, this one returned in full. "Vous êtes trop mignon, mon lapin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know what this is. I think my writing quality is steadily going downhill, much like my mood lately. It's something at least?
> 
> Anyways, fluffy AmeCan stuff. I think this is the same AU as the Just Another Meeting drabble? Yeah same AU. Have your crappy google translate french because I'm lazy.


	28. A Small Misspelling Incident (Maple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why you should always be careful when playing tag with magic.
> 
> 1pCan1pNyoCan, human AU, fantasy elements
> 
> Posted July 23 2014

"Oh no, oh no oh no oh no…" Emily groaned, immediately checking on the poor man she'd just accidentally knocked out with an errant spell. Flying Mint Bunny fluttered overhead, looking extremely guilty that her dive to dodge said spell had made him a target in the first place.

At the least, he was still alive - thank goodness it was just a stunner and not something more serious. Unfortunately, the plate he'd brought with him, stacked neatly with cookies, could not say the same, and she briefly mourned what looks liked absolutely delicious treats.

The moment passed quickly, more pressing concerns coming to the fore. She couldn't leave the poor guy out here on the street, and she wasn't really sure which house he lived in (plus it'd be really awkward if his door was locked and she had to explain why she was carrying an unconscious guy around to the new neighbors), so with some effort (and a bit of help from Minty) she managed to carry him inside and settle him on the couch.

With that step done, Emily went back to clean up the evidence, dumping the whole container save one cookie that seemed to have escaped the carnage without being ruined. She immediately felt even more guilty once she tried it, as the cookie practically melted in her mouth; she would later deny crying as she finished it off.

When the man still hadn't woken up after all that, she started to worry at her lip. She hadn't been putting that much power into her spells for the impromptu game of tag, and she thought it had just been a glancing blow at that, but it had been fifteen minutes and he hadn't even begun to stir.

(She really wished her dad was here right now to help fix this. Or that she at least remembered more about his lecture on how magic affected those without it.)

Minty nudged her way under Emily's arm, the young witch unconsciously lifting her other hand to scratch behind the flying rabbit's ears. She was the only one of their magical friends who had chosen to come along when she and her dad had decided to move to reintegrate with the wider world, even if only for a few years. Emily missed the others, but having Minty was a small comfort in a strange world.

"Will he be okay?" She asked after a bit, looking up to her lifelong friend's daughter.

"I don't know," The witch admitted, looking away for a bit. "I know dad has potions for stuff like this, but I don't want to accidentally mix them up again…"

"Maybe we should call him?"

Emily shook her head, a brief shot of horror going through her at the sheer disappointment he'd express if he ever found out what she'd done. God, she'd probably be lectured for at least an hour for not closing the door on her way out of the house, however briefly.

Fortunately for her increasingly worrying imaginings, the guy she'd been worrying over for the past twenty minutes finally groaned, face scrunching as he slowly came back to the waking world. Minty ducked away, watching from on top of the bookshelf as Emily quickly made her way over to his side, helping him up to a sitting position as he held his head.

"What happened?" He groaned, rubbing at his eyes.

The young witch bit her lip before replying, "I was playing with a friend, and I guess I threw the ball too hard and I didn't see you there and I'm really sorry about that-"

"It's fine, really." He interrupted, finally opening his eyes to look at her. "Accidents happen."

Emily flushed a bit, looking away. "I'm really sorry about the cookies and the plate, too; I managed to save one and it was really good though."

"That was an old plate anyways, no worries. I only bring out the good ones for family events." He groaned again, hand going back to his forehead. "Ulgh, you really did me a number there. Do you have any aspirin around?"

"Uh," What the heck was aspirin again? "Sorry, we're out of it right now."

"No worries, I'll just take some when I get home, then. My brother's probably wondering what's taking me so long to bring over a welcome gift, anyways."

"Oh," She stepped out of the way as he got to his feet, hoping he wasn't going to fall unconscious again. That would be really awkward to explain, especially if his brother did come to investigate. "Do you need help getting home?"

"Just to the door, I think."

"Right, just over here-"

He turned to her at the doorway, blinking a bit in remembrance. "Oh, right, I almost forgot. I'm Matthew Jones, and my brother and I live just two houses down from here."

"Emily Kirkland. It's nice to meet you, Matthew."

"Nice to meet you too. Maybe next time we can chat without either of his having a headache."

She flushed in embarrassment, ducking her head as he chuckled quietly. "That'd be nice, I think. I hope you feel better soon."

"No worries, a nap should clear it all up. Trust me, my brother's given me worse headaches."

"If you're sure…"

Emily closed the door as he made his way down to the sidewalk after waving goodbye, flushing even more heavily as she slid down to the floor. Minty came out of hiding to hover nearby, worry etched across her face. "Are you sure it's okay to let him go home like that?"

"I don't know," Emily admitted. "He seemed mostly okay at the end there…"

"Maybe we should ask Arthur when he gets back?"

"Maybe." Though in a way that wouldn't immediately out her and her momentary carelessness.

She had no way of knowing that two doors down, Matthew had barely heard his brother's concerned questions about where he'd been for the past forty minutes in favor of collapsing onto the couch, not to awaken again for another day and a half.

(As that was just when Arthur finally found out what had happened, it was needless to say too late to actually do anything about it.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many drabbles, so little time. This is my modern!witch AU, with young witch-in-training Emily moving with her father from their more isolated magical home to the much less magical suburbs for… reasons. And from there meeting her neighbor Matthew under… interesting circumstances.
> 
> (Yes this is 1pCan1pNyoCan.)
> 
> Anyways, long explanation short, her spell clipped somewhere near his eyes, hence the headaches and all that. And yes, there are side effects, though those will only be seen… If this drabble is continued by someone. (Probably me because no one else really has the interest or inclination to. :C )


	29. New Worlds, New Faces (Rocky Road)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No matter where you go, you're always bound to meet interesting people there...
> 
> 2pNyoAme2pNyoCan, human AU, Stargate SG1 xover
> 
> Posted July 28 2014

Being told someplace is hot never really clicks for someone until they experience it for themselves. Marie Delacroix, who thought she knew heat from when she'd moved south from her Montreal home for better work in southern California, realized she hadn't even begun to understand heat as the dissipating chill from the Ring was replaced with the dry heat of the new world she was on.

And she was just in the pyramid, far from the sun's heating rays! Suddenly the appeal - what there was - was lessened.

Her greeting party consisted of one, a women near her age who was already tanned from head to boots by the desert sun; their first interaction consisted of her being pulled to the side so that the supply train could come through unimpeded.

"So you're the chemical analyst they brought in, huh?" The woman looked her over, humming before coming to some quiet approval. "Nice ta meet ya, I'm Abigail Sutters, one of the archaeologists working under Dr. Jackson."

"Marie Delacroix; nice to meet you as well," Marie replied, though it would have been better if it hadn't been  _so damned warm_.

As if sensing the Canadian's discomfort, Abigail grinned sympathetically. "You'll get used ta the heat eventually; even those of us from the desert find it a bit rough at first. We'll get ya some sunscreen and water before I take ya down to the official base ta check in."

"That would be nice."

The American chuckled, gesturing for the other to follow as she made her way after the new supply carts to the makeshift processing hall. After ten minutes to verify her papers and collect her 'care package' (which thankfully included a sunhat), Marie and her escort finally stepped out onto alien sands, the heat bearing down now that they were in the direct sun.

"C'mon, we'll hitch a ride with the cargo since it's heading to base anyways," Abigail gestured, climbing up into the passenger seat of the vehicle and making room for the chemist to do likewise. Due to the makeshift suntarp it wasn't as bad as it could have been, allowing the Canadian to actually look around during the half hour trip.

She never caught sight of the famed city, but the rocky outcropping where the mines and NORAD base were located slowly rose from the horizon was more than enough to draw her attention from the sand dunes and her own sweating.

"It ain't much ta look at yet," Abigail commented once they got close enough to make out the ceramic domes. "But it'll look real nice once it's complete. Engineers have been focused more on making sure inside is cool and the underground doesn't collapse, but the domes do their job well enough."

Marie nodded, taking a swig of her canteen before settling back and trying not to let herself fade out.

When she woke up about an hour later in a cot with a sheepish Abigail nearby, she just closed her eyes again and sighed. "Please tell me I'm not gonna have to go through that again."

"No more afternoons outside for you," The American confirmed. "Should've guessed you weren't as used to heat as most, considering."

"Just because I'm Canadian doesn't mean I can't handle some heat." Marie didn't deny that not going out during the warmest part of the day wasn't that huge a loss overall.

"Yeah, well, you can get lectured by the doc for a half hour on why you shouldn't drag someone new outside during the hottest part of the day next time." Abigail gestured to the doctor who was with another patient, giving the two some privacy. "Seems even the 'last supply truck until tomorrow' excuse doesn't work for them, even if it's true for once."

Marie huffed quietly. "If you use it as an excuse that often, it's no wonder no one believes you."

The archaeologist laughed softly. "You do have a sense of humor!"

"Thank you, I try."

Abigail offered the newcomer a hand up, helping her to her feet. "Right, the doctor said you could move over to your room once ya woke up, and I don't think you want to be here longer than ya need to."

Marie nodded, barely wavering on her feet as she followed the other woman out of the room and down the hallway.

"I already got your things on your bed, so you can organize however. Also was told ta tell ya you'll be meeting with the head of R&D tomorrow at 9 local time, so don't be tempted ta sleep in. I'll be around on and off as I help with the digs or talking with the locals, in case you have questions or just want ta chat."

"Thank you," The Canadian tilted her head slightly as Abigail opened the door, her bag visible on top of the small bed. "And perhaps I'll take you up on that offer sometime when I'm not busy."

"Looking forward to it. Later, and welcome to Abydos." With that the American turned on her heel, waving over her shoulder as she disappeared around a corner.

Marie shook her head and entered her room, not feeling quite so in over her head anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another 2pNyo!AmeCan drabble, this one set in my Stargate Program xover story. It's a bit ahead of where the timeline is in the official story, but this is what I first thought of when I rolled the pairing and 'archaeologist / scientist au'.
> 
> But yeah I just really like Stargate SG1 and I felt this was a nice thing to toss into the 'verse, even if it's not quite relevant to the official storyline as it stands now. (Perhaps I can make them official 'OCs' for the story? I'll have to think on it.)


	30. The Forest Spirit (Butter Pecan)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New neighbors can sometimes be very different from what you expect.
> 
> 1pAme2pNyoCan, fantasy AU, dryad!Marie
> 
> Posted July 30 2014

It was rare Marie found interest in something from outside the forest, and rarer still for it to involve humans. She had to admit, though, that a human willing to live and work so close to the forest wasn't exactly a common occurrence as it was, and if she was ever willing to admit to constantly watching him (not spying!) long after determining he wasn't a threat, well, could she be blamed?

The human lived on his own - well, unless you counted two horses, a dog, and a few cows and chickens company. He didn't seem bothered by the lack of companions, though, just cheerfully went about his short mortal life.

She hummed in thought as she watched him work from her perch in the trees, legs swinging idly. She couldn't imagine living away from all her trees - even if none of them had manifested like her, she could still speak to them and listen to the going ons in the far reaches of the woods without travelling too far from her ancient oak home. She didn't think humans had been too different in that regard, abet with each other instead, but it wasn't like she knew that much about them.

Marie found her thoughts disrupted when, by pure chance, the human looked up and caught sight of her. She froze, hoping she was still hidden by distance, but when he straightened up and started to shout she knew she'd been caught. Without a second thought she fell back, barely hitting the next branch before darting away, back into the safe depths of the trees.

' _Idiot, idiot, idiot!'_  She hit herself in the head several times with the heel of her hands once she stopped, heart still shuddering from the panic. ' _You got too careless and let him see you!'_

She could only hope that, if she stayed away, he would eventually dismiss his sighting as a figment of the heat and go back to being blissfully unaware of her existence.

It wasn't to be, unfortunately, as not a week later she was awoken by someone shouting up at her from the base of her tree.

"Hey, miss, you alright? I don't think that's the safest place to sleep."

Marie pulled her legs in, trying her best to hide and groaning at her luck. She never should have let herself stay interested in a mortal.

"I'm not gonna bite, promise," He continued, oblivious or just ignoring her silent dismissal. "Just wanted to know who was running around in the woods watching me work."

Mentally weighing the benefits of staying silent versus actively shooing him away and not liking the results, she leaned over enough to give him a disapproving look. "Well, now you know, so you can go away. You don't belong here."

The human frowned, making her feel the slightest bit guilty, but really, everyone knew these were  _her_  woods-

"I don't think you do either, especially since fall's coming soon. Don't you have a home or something to go back to?"

"This  _is_  my home." Perhaps not everyone. "I don't need any sort of human shelter because, as you probably haven't noticed, I'm not human."

That seemed to shut him up, she noticed with some amusement; whatever he had been about to say died on his lips, his expression one of total surprise. It was her turn to be surprised when his face suddenly lit up in understanding, only for the next words out of his mouth to be "So  _you're_  that forest spirit everyone was about when I moved here."

There was no note of fear of disgust. That was odd; most humans didn't trust magical beings like her, especially the ones that looked human.

He huffed, sounding amused as he next told her, "I wasn't expecting you to be so pretty, honestly."

Marie's sudden flush was entirely out of anger and not embarrassment or flattery, no matter what anyone said later. "Excuse me?"

"Well," He shrugged, smiling up at her. "Most of them described you as some wicked beast who lured fools like me to their deaths in the depths of the woods or something like that. Which I mean I guess you sort of did because I'm here now but I don't think you're going to devour my flesh or something…"

His expression faltered as she continued to stare at him in bafflement. "...right?"

There was a long stretch of silence, broken only by his fidgeting when she continued to fail to respond. Finally, she startled him by throwing her head back and laughing, tears prickling at how hard her chest ached from the action.

He soon joined in, though his was not quite as enthusiastic as hers. Eventually the laughter died off, though she still had a genuine smile on her face. "They actually believe that? I haven't even talked to a human besides you in…"

...when was the last time she had spoken to one, actually? Surely when she was younger - but nothing she could definitively recall.

"...in, well, ever actually."

"Really? Huh, you don't seem that bad a person."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, not much I can really do about people spreading rumors about me. I don't like going far from the trees if I can avoid it."

"Would my farm be too far?"

She looked back to him, and her surprise must have been misinterpreted, because he ducked his head and looked away suddenly. "I mean, I can't really imagine living on your own like this all the time, and I don't really get much company because of, well, stuff, so…"

Marie was about to explain that she had plenty of conversation with the plants around her, but they died when it struck her, looking at his small act of submission, that perhaps he was asking because he was lonely and was trying to save some face. It was just so- so-

"I guess I can give it a shot." He looked up, startled, and she shrugged it off. "You managed to make me laugh; you can't be too terrible a person to talk to if you can do that."

He laughed awkwardly, rubbing at the side of his neck. "Uh, thanks I guess. I'm Alfred by the way."

"Marie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A 1pAme2pNyoCan fic to the prompt 'Dryad / Farmer AU'. I have no clue where I got the idea from tbh, but I guess this turned out pretty nice, especially since I finally decided how I picture Marie to be like.
> 
> I've noticed people tend to only like certain AUs or only the plain vanilla AmeCan stuff. Should I just… not bother with all of this? I mean I find it satisfying to be able to come up with fills for so many different pairings and prompts, but…


	31. It Belongs In A Museum! (Cotton Candy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's a daddy's girl, alright, but definitely not in the ways you're thinking of.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pCan, human AU, Indiana Jones themed
> 
> Posted July 31 2014

"You got any brilliant ideas for getting out of this one?" Alex asked his companion, who for some reason wouldn't stop squirming so that he could at least get minimally comfortable.

"Shush, I'm working on it." Eleanor moved again, pressing her back against his. "Lean forward a bit, would ya?"

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes, but did as she asked, even if was only an inch or two.

Why had he ended up like this again? Oh, right, he hadn't believed her when she said she could handle herself and had followed her on her self-appointed mission, right into a world of madness and Nazis and fuck all else. To be fair, he hadn't recognized her name until one of the leader of the soldiers had all but monologue about his expansive knowledge of her and her father.

Eleanor Amelia Jones, daughter of the famed archaeologist Alfred F. Jones and just as much a brilliant mind in the field as her father. Even bound in rope, she'd still managed to pull off an expression of smug satisfaction and a drawled comeback, all but sneering at his dismissal of her because of her gender.

For some reason, the guy seemed to think Alex was the reason they had actually made it all the way to where, if rumor had it, was the resting place for the Holy Grail. It had taken all of the Canadian's willpower to not burst out laughing at the absolutely absurd idea, as right now it was their enemy's underestimation of her (and overestimation of him) that had given them this chance to escape.

Speaking of which. "Well?"

"Just… about… aha!" He could feel her bound arms tug up, her booted feet mercifully no longer pressed against his back as she maneuvered herself back into a sitting position. "Pops always told me to have an extra knife on me just in case I needed it, and these numbskulls didn't think to check out anything other than my ladies and my ass."

"Yeah, lucky us." Alex could feel the ropes loosening slowly, her awkward angle still managing to work away at them until finally their hands were free - if a bit nicked. "Mind handing that over for a second?"

Eleanor handed it over, but only after a hissed, "Don't make a scene."

Considering it was a wonder the guards hadn't come to check on what they were whispering about yet, he doubted much he could do short of shouting would draw their attention, but none the less he remained quiet as he carefully worked at the ropes binding their arms to their sides. He caught the rope just as it started to fall away, keeping it from thumping against the metal floor of the truck as he passed the knife back to her.

Within a minute they were completely free of ropes, Eleanor rolling her ankles a bit to get rid of some of the pain. "Alright, now we go after that Nazi bastard and show him a thing or two, yeah?"

"Do I have a choice?"

It was obviously rhetorical, but she grinned none the less as she answered. "You're the one who wanted to be the big strong man, and protect me. It's about time you do your dang job and help me out with this."

Alex groaned, really wishing he hadn't been quite so oblivious back when they'd run into each other.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be such a baby. He's probably just gotten there, so if we borrow this truck we should be able to catch up before he gets too far." With a pat on his cheek, she grabbed the remaining rope and peeked out of the back, determining it was safe before slipping outside.

He sighed, shaking his head, before following after. If he got out of this alive, it'd be one hell of a story to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops and here's an Indiana Jones AU type of deal, only I can't remember shit about the movie since I last watched it like three or five years ago so have this instead. Ellie is a total BAMF throughout this AU and Alex is mostly just along for the ride.
> 
> I think this is the only drabble so far I've started in the middle of the plot instead of at the start. Then again, what else could I really do considering the prompt I rolled?


	32. How to Kill a Half-Hour (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Gilbert gets bored, bad things happen.
> 
> 1pAme1pCan, French!Mattie, canonverse, slight FrUK
> 
> Posted Aug 20 2014

Gilbert nowadays found world meetings boring, especially because as he was no longer an official Nation he could no longer participate (not that that kept him from coming to them all the time, but still.) If that weren't enough, all the endless talks about economies and the environment and everything else really got old and made him miss the days when you could solve all your problems by beating each other up until someone finally won.

Not that he'd go back to the old days for real; he liked his phone with all its apps and features way too much to give it up for something he could just convince his friend to reenact for an afternoon anyways.

With a sigh, he looked to his side, wondering if the Nation sitting next to him was just as bored as he was and perhaps up for a game to pass the time. Unfortunately, Matthew was paying attention to whatever his brother was saying - something about wind turbines? - and not to him.

Gilbert frowned. Well, that just wasn't right; he was way more interesting than some boring speech. He poked the Canadian's shoulder, leaning close. "Hey, hey Matt."

Barely an annoyed glance in his direction. He frowned more. "Matt, c'mon, you can't really be that interested in whatever Al's saying right now."

Matthew gave him a sharper look and a "Not now, Gilbert," before again turning away. The Germanic huffed, wondering what he'd have to do in order to get the other's attention to stay on him, before finally noticing that long curl bobbing gently in front of the man's face.

Gilbert had been curious about that thing for a long time, but hadn't ever really had the time to bother his friend about it, but with his boredom peaked he figured now was as good a time as any to finally figure out what the big deal with it was. He leaned over a bit more, reaching out to grab it and gave it a sharp tug despite two sudden protests.

The room went silent. Gilbert looked around, seeing most of the Nations glancing between a suddenly silent Alfred who was looking rather pale and an abnormally rigid and silent Matthew. He settled back into his chair, suddenly more than a bit nervous and remembering some less than pleasant moments, only to jump with the rest when the sound of a chair scooting back broke the stifling atmosphere.

The next thing anyone knew Matthew was gone, his jacket settling onto the back of his chair, and Alfred suddenly had an armful of Canadian who from what anyone could guess was whispering extremely embarrassing and possibly lewd things into his brother's ear, based on how red the American had suddenly gotten. The way Matthew's leg was sliding up Alfred's was probably helping as well.

Francis was looking way too amused. "I see Mathieu takes after me after all. And here I was worried stodgy British oppression had gotten to him."

"Excuse me?" Arthur's head whipped around to glare at the Frenchman. "If anything I thought I'd spared the boy your horrid French perversions."

The two up at the podium seemed entirely oblivious to the fight suddenly blooming down the table, Alfred too busy trying desperately to convince Matthew that the conference room in the middle of a meeting was not the place to make out despite the fact that he hardly seemed to be shoving the other's advances away.

Matthew was undeterred, wrapping his legs around his brother's waist while holding onto his shoulders with one arm and holding Al's face close with the other. Since Alfred was left with no choice but to use an arm to hold his brother up, it seemed that whatever protest was being made was unlikely to succeed, not that anyone still watching was complaining too much.

To a nearly universal disappointment, the American seemed to finally come to his senses enough to push Matthew away firmly, the two talking for several minutes before the Canadian finally returned to his seat, almost pouting as he lounged back in his chair.

Coughing to regain his everyone's attention and to settle himself, Alfred ignored the missing duo who were being suspiciously noisy under the table and gave a dazed smile. "Right, where were we again…?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes, settling back into his seat and feeling much more amused about the whole situation than before. Though he knew he'd probably end up in a lot of trouble later, satisfying his curiosity and getting a hot show out of it were definitely worth whatever was waiting for him. Not to mention it'd eaten a whole half-hour of the meeting, which meant it was a half hour closer to sweet freedom and some decent drinks with his friends.

Speaking of which, they'd definitely have something interesting to talk about today, wouldn't they? He grinned and settled back, ignoring the extremely annoyed look he was getting from Matthew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's amazing how quickly I was able to write this, all things considered. It's a fill for a prompt on the KM which I might say is one of the best prompts I've seen in ages. French!Mattie and AmeCan lovings more like helloooooooooo!
> 
> So yeah everyone enjoy~!


	33. Summer Part-Time Job (Caramel Swirl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of my prequel/inspiration for Rocky Shores.
> 
> 1pNyoAme1pNyoCan, human AU, modern fantasy AU
> 
> Posted Aug 26 2014

Humans had known for ages that the merfolk had the ability to shed their fins for human legs, which in its way made life easier and harder for those who chose to live alongside their land brethren. On one hand, a human shape made it easier to blend in, but for another humans for a long time had feared what havok such beings could cause through their mingling.

With such a mindset, they had never really stopped to consider whether the merfolk's transformation could go the other way as well.

Eleanor relished the freedom provided by her current form, cutting through water far faster than if she still had arms or legs. She dove down deep, just brushing against the floor, before with several powerful pumps of her tail she was up, up, and in the air, taking the brief opportunity during her aerial twirl to take a fresh breath before neatly sliding tail first back into the water, proud of barely causing a ripple.

It was a dance through three dimensions, an artform not even the strongest or most graceful of humans could hope to replicate. And Eleanor loved it.

Pushing herself halfway out the water again, she danced backwards across the entire width of the pool before falling back in and coming around again. This was the finale, and it had to be absolutely perfect.

The first leap she spun about once, her momentum driving her deeper so that her next leap took her higher, enough for a second spin in her next leap. The third leap, again from the bottom of the pool, was just enough for her to complete four full spins before sliding into the water, emerging from the water just in time for the applause from the watching crowd.

Eleanor rolled onto her side to wave to them, doing a lazy lap of the pool before allowing herself to slip backstage, her body shifting from flippers to limbs as she made her way to the ladder out. Her longtime girlfriend Emily was already waiting, a towel and set of dry clothes besides her as she helped the merfin out.

"You were really into it today," Emily complemented, helping Eleanor dry her sandy blonde hair before being shooed off.

"Had a big crowd out there," Eleanor responded, running the towel over the rest of herself before slipping into her clothes. "And didn't want to disappoint them. Definitely gonna need a massage after that, though."

Emily laughed as they made their way back out front, where eager fans were already waiting to see the star of the show. "I'm surprised you can walk right now, really."

Eleanor quirked a smile, nudging her girlfriend's shoulder. "I didn't push myself that much; I am not spraining a flipper again when I've still got three weeks on my payroll to earn."

"Bad memories?" Emily teased, and Eleanor shuddered.

"Don't remind me."

And then they were at the crowd, who were all expressing their own positive delight at her show. Eleanor preened under the attention, smiling just as widely as if she was still a dolphin, all the while sharing her deep passion for her watery playplace. Eventually the crowd thinned enough that Emily was able to drag her away, the promise of a hearty dinner and movie more than enough to make an already great day spectacular.

Of course, she couldn't resist showing off for everyone one last time, easily picking up her girlfriend and carrying her over her shoulder until the aches from the three performances of the day came back all at once. It was all fine though, as the chiding she got for surprising Emily with that was ended with a kiss that only served to teach her the wrong sort of lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for what was supposed to be an original story but, well... yeah. I've had in mind for a while to have an original series of short stories featuring various magical and mythical beings and how they would go about life in a modern world.
> 
> This is the first one I've really worked on, though I can probably expand it more in the future. Maybe others will wind up here, maybe not.


	34. Youtubers (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat related to the plot bunny in BFYA, but not exactly.
> 
> 1pAme1pCan, youtuber AU, human AU
> 
> Posted Sept 20 2014

Francis has to hand it to them, he'd never thought Alfred and Matthew could pull it off. They'd discussed the idea of making videos for a while before actually doing anything, and though he was never much for video games himself he didn't mind holding the camera, especially if it got him so much hilarious material to look over later - in the name of editing, of course.

Its been more than two years, and the two boys are wildly popular at this point. The fans just eat up their interactions, whether the seamless co-op, vicious PvP, or the silly mock fights and challenges, and its benefited not only their pocketbooks and popularity but his as well.

(He'd met more than one fan out at cons and even in town. No, fame was not something he begrudged too much.)

The two were laughing about something in the living room, the sounds of one of their shelves and shelves of games serving as background noise. Probably a warm-up session before their next livestream, which was starting in an hour if he remembered right.

Well, certainly nothing wrong with a few behind the scenes shots of them off air, right? Even if none of them ever saw their channel, it'd let him check out settings before they were needed.

And so Francis settled in the doorway, playing with his phone settings while waiting for the two to notice he was there. They were rather involved in their Mario Kart, race, though, so it'd probably be a while. They were having fun, though, so there wa no reason to not start taking a few practice vines to make sure the site wouldn't act up during recording.

The phone came up just in time for Alfred to cross the line, his arms pumping air as he cheered, Matthew huffing in amusement beside him as his own controller dropped to his lap. "Hey, Mattie, I get a prize for winning, right?"

The Canadian rolls his eyes, a smile on his lips as he turns to the excited victor. "I guess I can think of something."

And then he presses his lips to Alfred's own, the American eagerly responding just as Francis' finger lifts from the recording button in surprise.

He looks down to his screen, which pends him as to whether he should post it. He looks back up to see they still haven't noticed him, looks back down thoughtfully, calculates how eager they'll be to kill him versus how much traffic they'll get from the fanbase, closes his eyes, and presses the button.

It takes five minutes for it to go viral.

It takes another five for the two to realize what happened and start hunting down the suddenly absent Frenchman.

(The GIFs online are rather flattering, though, even if it wasn't their planned way to come out to their fanbase.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Storytime! So once upon a time, I sent an ask to a certain someoneabout an AU idea I'd had, and she loved it enough to make an adorable piece of art. So inspired by this was I that I decided that there was no time to waste and wrote down this little drabble as soon as I could!


	35. Lonely Hearts (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Priorities change over time, but one's passion for life can keep going no matter what.
> 
> 1pAmeCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Oct 23 2014

When he was seventeen, Alfred F. Jones would have told you that in ten years' time he'd definitely be on his way to the moon, or Mars, or wherever his dreams of exploring the universe took him at that particular point in time.

At twenty-seven, Alfred had other things occupying most of his interest and time.

"Dad, can we get pizza on the way home?"

Alfred turned to his daughter with a smile, slipping the book in his hand back onto the shelf. "Sure thing, Ellie. Had a good day at school today?"

"Yep!" Eleanor Jones, fresh to first grade, beamed up at her dad while rocking on her feet. "I met this really quiet kid who likes playing Pokemon too, and he says he's managed to fill his entire pokedex!"

"Oh really?" He asked, sliding another book into place. "Did he show it to you?"

"Nah, he didn't have it with him today," She shook her head. "But he's gonna bring it tomorrow, and if I bring mine I can battle him too! Dad, can I bring my DS to school tomorrow?"

"Only if you promise to keep it safe, but if I hear you're playing it during class I won't let you bring it again, got it?"

"Got it!" Eleanor beamed, hugging Alfred tight around his leg. "Thank you daddy!"

Alfred ruffled her hair, laughing when she whined about the treatment. "No problem; where's your grandpa, by the way?"

Eleanor's face scrunched up in annoyance. "He went to the cafe to see Mr. Francis again."

Alfred bit back a laugh, knowing that Arthur had gone out of his way to arrange his schedule so he could pick up Ellie and drop her off on Mondays and Thursdays, coincidentally the same days Francis was working at the cafe just down the street from the university library where Alfred worked. Though the old Brit would deny to the end any interest in anything other than the pastries, it was fairly obvious that it was the person who made those pastries that really had his interest.

It was almost cute, except for the fact that they were both old as heck and he was related to one of them.

"Then we'll have to make sure we pick him up on the way home, won't we?"

Eleanor nodded, before looking to his side and beaming. "Mattie!"

Alfred turned just in time to see his kid run straight into the Canadian, who laughed as he hugged her back. "Hey Ellie, Alfred."

"Hey Matt," Alfred grinned. "You here for another paper?"

Matthew Williams was twenty-three and currently working on his bachelor's degree in nursing, meaning he came in fairly often for one paper or another. Alfred had taken to him fairly quickly, though not as quickly as Eleanor had back before she'd started school, and they often spent some time chatting while Alfred reorganized the shelves or helped the younger man search for whatever specific information was needed for his latest paper.

(Though Alfred sometimes missed working towards his own degree, he was more than glad to leave that particular fiend behind him.)

Matthew shook his head as he straightened. "Not this time, actually. I think the professors are going soft."

Alfred pressed a hand to his heart, leaning back. "Perish the day!"

"Har har," Matthew snarked, though the flat expression fell away for something softer soon after. "I was actually wondering, if you weren't busy after work, if you'd maybe like to go get some coffee?"

Alfred stopped, wondering if he was seriously being asked this - not because he didn't think Matthew was cute, he had no issue admitting that to himself, but -

(There was still an unopened box in the back of his closet, covered in six years of dust.

He'd shoved it there the same day he'd brought Ellie home from the hospital.)

"Ah, I dunno…" Alfred shrugged. "I have to save my pops from the cafe down the street, and I promised Ellie I'd take her for pizza today."

"Oh," Matthew expression fell, his eyes looking anywhere else but Alfred. "I-"

"He can come with us!" Ellie declared, drawing both of the adults' attention. "Please, daddy?"

"I really don't want to impose-" Matthew started, just to be interrupted by a pouting six year old.

"But you promised you'd teach me some French words so I could impress Mr. Francis."

Alfred and Matthew exchanged bemused looks. "Well, doesn't seem like we have much choice, do we?"

"Nope, none at all," Matthew agreed, glancing back down to Eleanor. "Since your dad doesn't mind, I guess I can come along then…"

"Yay!" Eleanor cheered, hugging both of them tight before glancing to the clock. "Daddy, it's time to go!"

Alfred looked to his watch as well, noting it was several minutes past his usual check out time. "Well, isn't that convenient? You go ahead and wait by the front desk while I check out, alright?"

"Got it!" With a sloppy salute, she darted down the aisle and turned, her footsteps rapidly making their way towards the front.

Matthew shook his head and made to follow, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Matt," Alfred started, hesitating for a second before smiling and continuing. "My dad's taking Ellie down to the park for the afternoon next Tuesday if you're still up for that coffee."

Matthew blink twice, eyes widening briefly as the offer sunk in before he directed a wide smile at the American. "I'd love to, Al."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a stupid little thing for you all to enjoy. Librarian!Alfred and Nursing student!Matthew and little!Eleanor for a cute adorable single parent AU. I have no clue whether I'll write more for this or not but for now I'm glad to have written something that isn't an update for once. Hoorah.


	36. Holiday Cheer (Chocolate Chip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2pAme1pCan, human AU
> 
> [This is my AmeCan Christmas Exchange gift for xxtwistedeverafterxx, who is both on tumblr and here on ffnet. You should check out their stuff – they've got some neat fics.]
> 
> Posted Dec 30 2014

Tommy steps down from the stepladder to better look at his finishing touch, grinning in triumph as he saw everything had turned out perfectly. Matthew had graciously allowed him to be in charge of Christmas decorations for their dorm this year, seeing as the Canadian was busy working on an end of term paper and just didn't have the time to worry about it.

Never let it be said that Tommy wouldn't take an opportunity when he saw it.

Of course, most people might say that several dozen sprigs of mistletoe scattered around the place might be a bit excessive, but the brunet had managed to make it work with all the other decorations just fine, and what did they know about interior design, anyway?

(Though it did make an excellent excuse to corner his boyfriend for smooches whenever he just happened to pass under one - which, considering the layout, was going to be fairly often.

Tommy loved when a plan was coming together.)

Tommy stretches as he sent a glance towards the clock, reminding him that it was getting late and that he probably needed to start dinner if he wanted it to be ready for when Matthew came back. His stomach is in consensus with the idea of an early dinner, leading him to put the stepladder away before starting on dinner.

The door creaks open about ten minutes later, Tommy turning towards the hall doorway with a grin but otherwise not moving from his spot. "You're back early today."

"Finally finished the paper," Matthew grins back as he passed by the kitchen door, the dark smudges under his eyes belied by the brightening expression brought about by the smell of food wafting from the stovetop. "Dinner almost done?"

"Almost," Tommy agrees, eyes flickering up to the sprig hanging over the doorway as he stepped towards his boyfriend.

Matthew, however, failed to notice the action, turning away and reslinging his bag over his shoulder. "I'll just get cleaned up then."

"I-" Tommy groans, lamenting the lost opportunity before reminding himself that the night was still young and that there'd be plenty of chances yet to ravish the Canadian. That positive thought in mind, he turned back to the stove, humming Christmas tunes under his breath until the timer dinged.

He turns back to the table, realizing the dishes hadn't been put out, and why hasn't Mattie come back from the bathroom yet?

Wiping his hands on his pants, Tommy makes his way to the bedroom and peeked in, not bothering to suppress a chuckle at the sight of his boyfriend half-sprawled across the bed and softly snoring. As much as he's tempted to just leave Matthew there, or better yet join him in bed, he knows from experience that the Canadian would be upset if he wasn't woken up to eat.

It was silly, but part of his charm. Tommy still marvels sometimes at how lucky he was to have landed a guy like Mattie, even as he makes his way over to shake the Canadian awake. "Dinner's done. You can nap afterwards."

"Mmmph, fine…" Matthew groans, still mostly asleep, though he does push himself up and off the bed after a minute of halfhearted movement.

"I finished decorating while you were out, by the way," Tommy nods to the garland strung up around the bedroom, a few cheap ornaments dangling from it.

"I noticed when I came in," The Canadian smooches his boyfriend on the cheek as he passes by. "It looks great."

"Of course it does," Tommy agrees as he follows the other down the hall and into the kitchen. "I worked on it after all."

"Your humility never ceases to impress me," Matthew deadpans as he serves himself from food, settling into his seat as Tommy does the same.

Tommy preens as he sits across from the other. "It's part of my charm."

Again the brunet laments the lost chances to smooch, but, seeing Matthew eat with the gusto of one still half asleep, maybe its for the best. His hopes rekindle as the Canadian straightens up during the meal, but there's still exhaustion in his eyes, and Tommy's not one to push things in cases like this.

So instead of beginning an innuendo laced conversation that would hopefully lead to the bedroom, Tommy gives one of his softer smiles as he grabs their plates, ignoring the protest that Matthew could put his in the sink on his own just fine in favor of asking, "Hot chocolate?"

Matthew presses his lips together thoughtfully, eventually nodding. "Sounds nice. Want me to grab the cinnamon?"

"Yes, please."

By the time they're curled up on the couch together, a mug of cocoa topped with whipped cream and cinnamon for each of them in hand, Matthew is starting to doze again, and Tommy has to nudge him several times to keep from spilling the drink.

"Hey, Matt?" Tommy asks, breaking the quiet atmosphere, setting his cup down after finishing it off and palming an unhung sprig as he turned to his boyfriend.

"Hmm?" Matthew turns to look at him, smiling softly as he watches Tommy bring the sprig over their heads before letting it dangle between his fingers. Raising an eyebrow at the gesture, he chuckles before looking back to the grinning brunet. "Really, Tommy?"

"It works, doesn't it?" Tommy asks, unable to hold back a laugh when Matthew huffs.

"Dork," The Canadian mutters, but he's still smiling as he leans in for a kiss, and that's enough of a victory for Tommy for one day.

(Besides, there was plenty of time for him to have some fun before Mattie actually took a closer look at the decorations.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for disappearing for so long! I just sorta burned myself out and needed the break, but now I'll be getting myself back into the swing of things! Admittedly, I won't be posting something everyday this year, but I'm gonna try to improve the quality and length of what I do put out.
> 
> The Ice Creamery should be keeping its updating down to once or twice a week, so that I actually have time to work on all my other projects. Some of this might be delayed as I'm also seriously forcing myself to work on some original short stories to hopefully get published this year. I don't expect miracles, but if I can pull it off I'll be super stoked, so I wanna do my best on those pieces.


	37. New Years Resolutions (Cotton Candy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluffiness to wave in the New Year right!
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Dec 31 2014

It took Eleanor almost half an hour to finally excuse herself from the impromptu game of Drunk Cards Against Humanity that Gilbert, ever the resourceful host, managed to pull out for the occasion. She loved the guy, really, but there was a reason she'd been going light on the alcohol this year, and he currently wasn't anywhere to be found.

Not that that surprised her all that much. Alex had never been one for huge parties, and had only agreed to come to this one on the stipulation that Christmas would be a private, subdued affair - an agreement she'd been more than happy to make once she realized all the fun things they could do on their own.

(Thank god they'd gotten the obligatory visits to their families out of the way already, or else she'd have had some quick thinking to do when one of her little cousins caught her under the tree in her… special Santa outfit come Christmas morning.)

Eleanor didn't even bother checking the other rooms, seeing as all of them were either hosting public games or private ones, neither of which Alex would be getting himself into without her. Instead, she pulled her coat off the coat rack by the front door, wrapping it around herself tightly before stepping into her boots and outside into the frosty winter night.

The steps leading up to the house were almost completely trampled free of snow, but a singular set of prints heading away from the main path told her she'd been on the mark about Alex's whereabouts. Her own steps crunched as she followed them down to the street, where her boyfriend had already cleared out a patch of sidewalk just large enough for two people to sit side by side.

"Having fun out here?" She asked as she settled down beside him, watching her breath puff out and disperse in small clouds.

Alex glanced over to her knowing grin, sighing out a large cloud. "Just taking a break. Thought you were in the middle of a game."

"I dropped out early; everyone's drunk enough to keep them from reading the cards right half the time, and Franny was definitely picking all of Art's cards on purpose." She puffed her cheeks in mock frustration, going back to grinning widely when the expression got a chuckle out of Alex.

"You didn't have to come out here," Alex muttered after a bit, grabbing one of her hand in his own and frowning at how cold it already was, even buried in the coat's pockets. "I would've come back in in a bit."

"I know, but I needed the break anyways," She told him, clasping the hand holding hers tighter as she snuggled closer. "And we haven't had any time together all afternoon."

"What, this morning wasn't enough for you?" He asked, his lips starting to twitch up into a grin.

"Nope," She replied cheerfully. "I'm completely insatiable."

"Don't I know it," Alex sighed to himself, though his exasperation couldn't hide the crinkle around his eyes when Eleanor threw her head back and laughed.

They lapsed into silence again, content for the moment to stay curled up. At some point a soft snowfall began, the flakes illuminated by the streetlights and the house behind them.

"Hey," Eleanor whispered after a moment, gaze returning to Alex from where it'd been following the delicate flakes. "What're your new year goals?"

"Hmm?" Alex turned to look at her briefly, registering the question, before leaning back to gaze up into the sky thoughtfully. "I dunno. I might finally take that art class you've been subtly hinting about."

"Hey, I still think you'd do great," Eleanor stuck her tongue out, pouting fiercely when the gesture only had Alex laughing quietly.

"Leaving papers out describing the college and the classes isn't exactly being sneaky about it, though," He pointed out, pushing himself up so he could brush some stray snowflakes from her hair.

"I just want you to find something you like," She murmured sullenly, leaning against his shoulder with a quiet huff.

"I know you do, Ellie," He murmured back, pressing a slightly awkward kiss to her head before resting his own against hers. "Just give it time. I haven't been dead set on what I wanted since I was two like you have."

"Hey, being a doctor is cool, even if the classes are a pain." She argued.

"Mmm," Alex hummed in reply, after a moment turning the conversation around. "What about you? You probably have tons of goals for next year."

Eleanor smiled. "Well, I'm hoping I'll be able to get that internship at the hospital downtown so that I can start getting some experience. It'll mean I have less free time, but hopefully it'll all work out down the line."

"That's a good goal," Alex agreed, running his thumb against the back of her hand.

"Of course it is," Eleanor grinned. "I actually have another goal, if you wanna hear it."

"Am I gonna like it?" Alex asked, pulling away slightly to better look at her.

Her grin widened. "Next Christmas, I'm getting you in the Santa suit."

He opened his mouth to retort, before realizing the second meaning behind her words. "I think you pulled it off a lot better than I ever could."

"Well, we won't know until we try, will we?" Eleanor leaned up to plant a kiss to his cold cheek, standing up and offering him a hand. "I think the fireworks are gonna be starting soon, and I wanna raid Gilbert's cabinets for hot chocolate before they start."

Alex accepted the help up with a smile, planting his own kiss right on her lips. "Sounds like a plan to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's to another new year! Updates will be more spaced out from now on, but this was sorta something I'd planned for even before the exchange gift and everything. So I guess enjoy a double update! What're all of your goals for the New Year? Mine are to write 200k words by the end of December, to publish at least two original short stories, and of course to get even better at writing... and maybe try my hand at art.


	38. Snow Daemons (Moose Tracks)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second leases at life come from the strangest of places sometimes...
> 
> 1pNyoCan2pCan, fantasy AU, ice daemon!Alex, mage!Emily
> 
> Posted Jan 7 2015

She could barely remember what warmth felt like. Even her breath had slowly ceased to produce clouds of heated air, the chill of the night seeping into her lungs like it had the rest of her body.

Emily could barely find the strength to cry anymore. She'd already come to the horrified realization that this time, the matron of the chapel was not going to relent and let her return to the warmth and safety and accusatory looks of the building and the other girls and women within.

(Eight years of being told to accept a faceless god into her heart, to renounce the witchcraft and wild spirits that cursed her steps from the second she'd been abandoned at their doorstep.

Like she'd somehow chosen to wield magic before she'd even learned to walk.)

Even those random bursts of the arcane, as unhelpful and poorly timed as they were, were absent now, leaving her alone in the snowy night. Huddled between the roots of a large tree she'd stumbled across, it dawned on her that she wouldn't live to see the sun rise. She probably wouldn't last another hour, at that.

She pulled her thin coat around herself further, a last desperate bid at warmth, and allowed her eyes to flutter shut. For a moment she imagined arms wrapping around her, a forgotten mother's hum in her ears. Maybe when she woke up she'd realize it was just a nightmare…

~0~0~

Xander took a deep breath, basking in the moonlight and cold swirling around him. This was the time of year where he was at his apex, the world around him his to command. His steps left no footprints in the settling snow, but still kicked up a small flurry of snowflakes none the less.

He wasn't sure what drew him from his usual haunts in the isolated depths of the mountains; human settlements always radiated warmth and joviality and other things that would repulse any sane snow daemon on a good day. It almost felt like the north wind was nudging him somewhere, which was downright odd, since she usually led him around the humans rather than past them.

The daemon paused, breathing in deeply. There was something alive nearby, a feeble patch of warmth against the cold background, and - he checked again - almost reeking with magic.

A mage? Out here at this time of night?

The wind nudged him forwards; if she saw no reason to worry, then there was unlikely to be any danger involved on his end. A prepared mage in wait was one thing, but this one was likely just a fool who'd gotten themselves lost-

Or… or a child.

He stopped before the still form, half-hidden by the tree's roots - a dryad's tree, even - and coated with a light layer of snow. A human so small should have been dead already, but he could see the thin trickle of life from the spirit to the girl, just keeping her on this side of the veil. The dryad herself was barely awake, resisting the urge to return to full hibernation just for the child she was cradling.

Dark, exhausted eyes turned up to him, her whole expression pleading.

_Help her. Please._

Xander frowned, kneeling down to take a closer look at the child. It was easy to see frostbite had already started to sink into her skin, even with the dryad's meager protection. It would be difficult, but not impossible, to pull the cold out and keep it away, allowing her to make it through the night. There was a human settlement nearby - perhaps they would find her the following day, take her in, and keep her from going through this again.

Or, he mused, looking over her again, he could make it so she'd never notice the cold again. A more dangerous path, to be sure, but the chance for producing an ice mage - a rare, valuable commodity for beings like him - would be worth it.

A needle of ice pieced into his finger, drawing forth milk white blood. Carefully, he opened her mouth and ran the bead along her tongue, stepping back as her body shuddered under the invasion of new magic.

A few shuddering breaths later, her body shook violently, eyes snapping open as their color bled into an unnatural violet before sinking closed again, her body slumping back into the dryad. There was little cause for concern at this point; her chest rose and sunk in a natural sleep, uncaring of the snow that was resettling on her after the outburst.

The dryad sighed, running one last hand through the child's damp hair, before slipping back into her tree's deep slumber. It'd be a wonder if she woke up before midspring with her exertion, but Xander would take care to make sure the rest of winter was a bit gentler on her branches.

The daemon stood and turned to leave, sending one last glance to the sleeping mage-child before disappearing back into the night.

He'd be back to check on her one day.

~0~0~

At dawn, another set of footsteps crunched to a stop before the child, the hood of his cloak falling back as he looked her over. Lukas hummed in interest, one hand resting on his familiar as it hovered nearby.

So this was what the troll had dragged him from his house for.

Spirits rarely took active interest in human affairs, even when they possessed magic. But this child - this untrained little girl, not even ten years - had the sense of two very different beings in her aura now. One was tinted with life, probably from the dryad who lived in this tree, but the other…

"It seems you're destined for interesting times," Lukas mused, crouching down as she started to stir, icy lashes parting to reveal spirit-violet, like his own.

"Oh…" She breathed, no cloud escaping her lips. "I'm…"

"You must be hungry," Lukas spoke softly, offering her a hand. "Would you like to come with me?"

She bit her lip, glancing to the side. "I don't know…"

"I could also teach you to control your magic," He offered, her gaze snapping back to him before settling slightly to his side, where the troll still hovered.

"...alright." Her hand slipped into his, almost as cold as the snow around them. "I'm Emily."

"It's nice to meet you, Emily." Lukas replied with a small smile, helping her to her feet. "I'm Lukas."

The two walked away, footsteps slowly filling in behind them as the wind blew loose snow into the pockets. Within the hour, it was as if neither had ever been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite all that shippy, but then again, I've never been the best of romantic stuff. Ah well, I never claimed all of these would be super romantic, but at least they're interesting!
> 
> I might do a second part to this later on, where she's grown up and Alex comes back to see what's going on with her and she's really taken to the ice powers and everything and just- yeah. Also decided to make use of Norway instead of England for the older mage because of snow stuffs and for other reasons.


	39. Ice Skating Lessons (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes the smallest of moments together have more meaning.
> 
> 1pAme1pCan, colonial era
> 
> Posted Jan 10 2015

"Are you sure this is safe?" Was asked again by the American nervously eying the ice in front of him.

Matthew rolled his eyes, standing out on the frozen lake. "I skate all the time in winter; so do Arthur and Francis and the other Nations in Europe."

Alfred frowned but nodded, carefully shoving himself away from the tree branch he'd been hanging on to… and instantly slipping and falling on his ass. Matthew laughed, skating over to his brother to help him back up.

"I thought you said this was easy," Alfred groaned, accepting the hand back up and keeping hold of it while he tried to keep his balance on the thin metal under his feet.

"It is, once you get used to it," Matthew agreed, slowly pushing himself back and dragging the American along. "Like horseback riding."

"Horses never gave me this much trouble…"

"That's because animals love you," The Canadian tugged his hand slightly. "I thought you wanted to learn this?"

"I do! It's just-" Alfred bit his lip, glaring down to his feet briefly. "Do these have to be so tight?"

Matthew sighed. "You're lucky Francis' spare skates were here; they aren't exactly easy to get around here right now."

"Mmmmph." Alfred wobbled again, but managed to stay upright when Matthew increased the speed again slightly, leading them in a large circle around the lake.

By the third lap, Alfred had managed to avoid losing his balance for several minutes, giving him a boost in confidence. "Hey, Matt, can we try going faster?"

"Are you sure?" Matthew frowned. "You might lose your balance again."

"Hey, I won't learn if I'm always going slow like this," Alfred replied.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" The Canadian mumbled, before pulling one of his hands away from the one clasped in Alfred's own. "Hold on with both hands, alright?"

"Alright," Alfred agreed, pulling one of his own away from their grip around Matt's hand to grab the other one. "I'm ready."

Matthew just nodded, with one foot pushing back and jolting the two to a faster speed. Alfred almost landed face-first on the ice from the initial jolt, instead wobbling dangerously while Matthew kept an eye behind himself to avoid crashing onto the shoreline.

"Matt, wait, I-" Was all the warning Matt had before Alfred lunged forward to grab his jacket, throwing them both off balance and onto the ice, the Canadian sprawled beneath his southern brother.

"Ow…" Came the eloquent reply, Matthew shutting his eyes and sighing before shoving at his twin. "I told you not to panic."

Alfred huffed, pushing himself up. "I didn't, I was just- caught off guard."

"Sure you were," Matthew replied as he got up. "How about we try again, but slower?"

"Fine…" Alfred complained, though Matthew could see the faint line of relief in his face. "I'll get it down in no time, you'll see."

It was another hour before either noticed how dark it'd gotten, as focused as they were on Al's slow but steady progress. He was now managing to skate on his own for short distances, though turning was still catching him when he was going too fast. After another such tumble, the American chose to roll onto his back and relax instead of getting back onto his feet.

"You're doing a lot better now," Matthew told him, skating over from where he'd been watching, feeling proud of his brother's progress so far. "Maybe in a week or two you'll even be able to race."

"Well, I do have a pretty good teacher," Alfred agreed, before flushing and looking away, muttering about the cold.

Matthew glanced up, seeing the stars starting to fade into view and whistling. "It's later than I thought - we should get back to the cabin soon."

"In a sec," Alfred mumbled, lazily tracing out constellations with a gloved hand.

"C'mon, you," Matthew sighed, tugging at the offered hand until his twin started to get up. "You'll be complaining about frostbite in a few minutes if I don't get you inside."

"Fiiiiiiiiine," Alfred complained, but let himself be pulled up to his feet anyways.

"The stew on the fire should even still be warm," Matthew continued, grinning when he saw Alfred's face lighten up at that.

"Then what're we waiting-" The American started, only to stop and look up again, gaping.

"Alfred?" Matthew looked up as well, wondering what'd grabbing his brother's attention away from food.

Hidden from immediate notice because of the fading sunset, the Lights wove their way across the sky, dancing and shining with a rainbow of colors. Matthew couldn't help but gape as well, the sight rare enough even for him, who lived further north of his brother and thus saw them slightly more often.

"Amazing…" Alfred whispered, the hand not holding onto Matt's reaching up like he could grasp onto the ribbons above.

"Mmm." Matthew replied, pressing closer to Alfred as the temperature dropped a bit further.

It was several minutes before either of them moved from their gazing spot, Alfred's numb nose causing many complaints as Matthew led him back to the small cabin, where a warm stew and a warmer view of the Lights were waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A late gift for the exchange for askcanadathetruenorth on tumblr, since their previous gifter dropped from the exchange without saying anything. Not my best work, but I only had 'matt teaching al how to skate' and 'watching northern lights' to work with in a 48 hour period, so. Whelp.


	40. Snowed In (French Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter has its upsides and downsides. Being stuck in an airport because of a blizzard may shockingly be the former.
> 
> 1pNyoCan2pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Jan 16 2015

Emily loved winter more than any other season. Winter meant blankets of snow covering the yard and woods, meant colorful lights on all the houses she drove by, meant gingerbread and hot cocoa and warm crackling fireplaces. Even the cold bite of morning was lovely in its own way, waking her up just as much as the cup of coffee she had in the mornings before work.

Of course, winter did have its downsides. The snowstorm stranding her in the Toronto Airport, for example.

Emily sighed, kicking her feet out from her seat at what had been her flight's number before it'd been delayed for who knew how long. A lot of the other passengers had disappeared, probably to get dinner or find a place to lie down or, if it were possible, to go find a hotel for the night since the storm didn't seem to want to let up anytime soon.

She put her phone down with a sigh - there was no getting through to anyone to let them know she was delayed. Thankfully she'd been on her way back from her annual visit to family, so she wasn't leaving anyone waiting, but it was still frustrating to not be able to get in contact with anyone, or even access the internet.

The woman across from her, engrossed in whatever game she was playing on her phone, didn't seem to be suffering from the same issue. Lacking a book to entertain herself, Emily figured it was worth a shot to try and start a conversation. "Hey, what game are you playing?"

For a brief minute, Emily thought the woman hadn't heard her, but a flicker of a glance in her direction caused her to dip her head briefly.

"...Candy Crush."

"Really?" Emily perked back up. "Can I watch?"

The woman didn't respond right away, looking Emily over instead, before gesturing to the seat next to herself. Emily took the offer, flopping into the seat and looking to the screen. "How far are you?"

The woman pointed out the menu, which had her far ahead of where Emily had gotten in the game. This caused her to pout, the other woman huffing in laughter as she started the next level.

"You're good at this," Emily complemented after a few minutes.

"I've had all afternoon to practice," The woman replied wryly, cutting the final string and sending the candy to its destiny.

"That probably helps a bit," Emily agreed. "I'm still hopeless with it, though; I just can't get the timing down on the harder levels."

"Sucks to be you then," The woman shrugged, starting the next level. "What's taking you west?"

"Huh?" Emily blinked, before realizing she was talking about the flight they'd both been waiting on to Vancouver. "Work. Just heading back from visiting family. What about you?"

"Same. About the visiting family; I'm still looking for a job, and I figured I'd go somewhere warmer that's still in Canada."

"Oh, good luck with that. It's a pretty place, especially in spring."

"So I've heard," The woman finished the level, looking back to Emily for the first time in a while before offering a hand. "Marie Delacroix."

"Emily Walkins." She replied, taking the offered hand. "And I know this is sudden, but do you want to go get dinner? I don't think our flight's going to be happening tonight as it is…"

Marie raised an eyebrow, but the small smile showed no offence. "Eh, that's fine with me, I was starting to get hungry anyways. Did you want to get something here, or brave the storm in a taxi?"

Emily hummed in thought. "I guess try here first, then see if the storm's lightened up a little before we try that."

"Sounds like a plan." Marie nodded, pushing herself up from her seat and tucking her phone back into her bag, Emily doing the same.

In the end, it took more than twenty minutes for them to find a directory, agree on a restaurant, and finally make their way their, but thankfully the place was still open, as well as devoid of the dinner crowds that'd already passed through. By the end of the meal they'd exchanged phone numbers, as well as a promise to get together in the future sealed with the shyest of kisses.

Overall, not a bad way to wait out a snowstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's this week's update – nothing super special, I guess, but its cute lesbian fluffs, and the world needs more of that. Yeah, more RVP, I'll get back to Americest and AmeCan soon. I just go with what the randomizer gives, okay?


	41. Emergency Services (Mint Chocolate Chip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is why Tommy's friends shouldn't be left alone with alcohol and flammable things.
> 
> 2pAme1pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Jan 22 2015

"What the fuck!?"

Tommy's bag of groceries dropped to the ground, his attention entirely focused on the fact that the front of his house was on fire, when he damn well knew he hadn't left it like that fifteen minutes ago when he'd gone to get the donuts Alex had been complaining were necessary for hockey night.

" _Why is my house on fire?_ " He yelled, voice going up a register as his panic grew, literally watching his life go up in flames.

To the side, Alex, Ivan, and Gilbert were all managing to look extremely guilty as they looked anywhere but at the shrieking American or the house they'd set aflame whilst trying to cook under the influence.

This tactic only worked for a few minutes before Tommy twirled on them, the flickering of the fire managing to make him look even fiercer with the snarl. "Which of you assholes did this?"

Both Ivan and Alex instantly pointed to Gilbert, who startled before shouting defensively, "They're the ones who wanted me to make popcorn on the stove!"

"You were doing  _what?_ " All three flinched, looking for a way to escape that wasn't past the quickly approaching American.

The taller two of the three decided that that way was by sacrificing the third to Tommy's wrath; Gilbert quickly found himself shoved into the brunet's fist while his traitorous allies in crime fled the scene. Not willing to accept the beating (even if well earned), he started punching back, sending the two into an all out brawl even without the argument over whose team was better.

By the time the ambulance and fire trucks arrived, both of them had broken noses, at least one black eye apiece, and several bruised ribs.

"Hey, stop that you two!" One of the paramedics latched onto Tommy's shoulder, pulling him away from Gilbert, who was in turn being dragged away by an unhappy brunette.

"Fucker's why my house is burning down in the first place," The American grumbled as he was pushed out of the way of the firefighters and seated on the sidewalk.

"And here I thought I was going to be dealing with burns, not a fistfight," The woman mused, finally stepping in front of him as she crouched down to look closely at his injuries.

And damn did she look good. Tommy's grin was cut off by a wince as she started cleaning off the blood from his face. "Yeesh, gentle much?"

"This  _is_  gentle," The medic told him, dabbing at another patch of blood. "You're just tender from getting beat up."

"I kicked his ass," Tommy corrected. "He just got in a few lucky punches."

"Of course," She graciously conceded, though her wry smile told another story entirely. "Are you hearing any sort of ringing noises?"

"Nope."

"Are you experiencing spotty vision or dizziness? Shortness of breath?"

"Only when looking at you, babe," He replied, only to wince at the short jab to his rib he got in reply.

"No hitting on on-duty personnel," She told him, giving him a firm glare that had him backing down enough to finish cleaning off the blood. "It looks like you don't have a concussion, and you don't need stitches or a cast, so you won't be going to the hospital today, lucky you."

"Hey, Em," One of the cops came over, glancing down at the two of them. "Is he available for a statement yet?"

"Just about," The newly named Em replied. "I'm making sure he doesn't have any broken ribs."

"Alright, I'll be back for him in a bit; we're trying to get the names of the other two involved in this from the other guy, but he's not talking."

"Alexander Danson and Ivan Braginski," Tommy inserted with a scowl at the reminder. "Fuckers tried cooking on my stove half-drunk."

"Right," The cop gave him a look. "That should help us track them down. You have any idea where they might be?"

"Probably hiding at Alex's place over on Wilson. Maybe ten minutes from here on foot."

The cop nodded and left, leaving the two on their own again for the moment.

Em eventually commented with, "You sound a bit bitter."

"Jerks burned down my house, what do you expect?" He complained. "They also completely ruined hockey night, and there's no way I'm ever letting them near my house again."

"You watch hockey?" The medic asked, standing up.

"Yeah, they got me into it," Tommy shrugged. "Why're you surprised?"

"You just don't look the type to watch it," She replied as she stood up. "I get off at seven, by the way?"

"Huh?" Tommy blinked up at her, losing his scowl.

She shrugged. "I have the game recording at home; I figure it can't hurt to watch it with someone instead of on my own."

Tommy grinned even though it stretched several bruises uncomfortably. "Anyplace you wanna meet up?"

Em hummed thoughtfully. "The Chinese place downtown; it's not far from my apartment. You're paying, though."

"I can live with that," The American agreed, grin never dropping.

No way he was gonna turn  _this_  chance down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this place is just gonna end up a twice a week update. One for tumblr prompts, one for my own. Anyways, enjoy this week's tumblr prompt, which was 'emergency services'. Someone needs to call an ambulance, cause Tommy's gonna be heartsick really soon.


	42. Seeing Through Me (Double Chocolate)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need someone to talk to...
> 
> Americest, 2pAme/2pNyoAme, human AU, somewhat crossovery
> 
> Posted Jan 22 2015

The afterlife really, really sucks. Though whether Tommy's current existence really qualifies as that or as something else entirely he isn't quite sure, as he's not even sure he's dead.

(Waking up by a frozen lake, covered in snow but not shivering had a way of pointing to that, but there'd never been a body or any memories except a name - which might not have even been his, but he'd had nothing else, so…)

Either way, the fact still stands that people don't see him, even when they pass right by (or through) him. And that, needless to say, sucks, especially when it means that he hasn't actually spoken to anyone in… well, ever. Excepting the handful of kids over the years who, for whatever reason, could see him briefly on the colder winter days and either marveled or shied away.

But kids just weren't enough for him. And there was a surprising dearth of other dead people to talk to, though whether that was because he'd never been human or he'd just been passed over by the train to the other side or whatever else it was was hard to say.

There were ways to pass the boredom, however.

He smirked, flicking his finger in a way that caused someone to slip on a new patch of ice. It was dickish, but then again it wasn't like anyone could even see him doing it. The guy hadn't even been hurt or fallen over, just thrown off balance for a bit from the slip. Harmless entertainment.

(Though he could - and had - done worse, a few times.)

All the other people scurrying past on their way to work or school or breakfast or whatever else had them braving the cold January morning barely spared the man a glance, intent on their own destinations. Maybe that was why they couldn't see him - they were too focused on other things to really stop and look around them.

And damn, he was getting philosophical again. Maybe he should find someplace else to bother for a while. He only had a few weeks before the temperature went up here again and drove him north with it, so he might as well make use of it.

Tommy hummed an aimless tune as he made his way down the street, fingers tracing out radiating lines of frost along the windows he passed. As always, people ignored his artistic genius, but it was fun none the less.

Focused as he was at one particular window corner (he aimed to have the swirls spell out something that'd have the parents nudging their kids away), he didn't even see the oncoming person until she'd bumped shoulders with him, leaving an imprint of a hand over his nice work while she kept going, the brief flick of a finger sent in his direction as she disappeared down the street.

It took him about ten baffled, outraged seconds to realized she'd actually touched him, the shoulder still even sore from the impact. It took another twenty for him to realize what that meant.

"Hey, wait-!"

Tommy tore down the street after her, looking for the shock of dark brunette hair, but she'd either ducked into a building or turned a corner somewhere, and was nowhere to be found. He still committed everything he could to memory - clothes, height, gait - because if there was one thing he had to know, it was whether it'd been a fluke…

...or possibly a chance at long last.

He'd never been more aware of the clock ticking, edging this half of the world ever closer to spring.

~0~0~

Tommy found her a week later, texting furiously to someone on her phone in the middle of the park. He knew it was her, both from the way her hair slipped over her shoulders and from the way her glare settled onto him when he tried to get her attention.

"Do ya want something?" She asked, looking him over with the smallest of frowns curling her lips.

"I-" He fumbled for words, not actually sure what to say. "You can see me."

Her eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"

Tommy's fingers twitched; he mentally chastised himself for sounding so stupid. "I- you-  _how_ , though?"

Her lips pursed further. "Is this some sort of trick question?"

"What? No, no, I-" He bit his tongue, trying to think hard about what to say. "You shouldn't be able to, but you  _can_."

"...yeah, I'm just gonna go." She moves to step away, jerking back when he steps forward in panicked reply.

"Wait! Just lemme prove it to you-"

"I'm not going to stick around with a crazy person!"

"I'm not-"

Tommy frowned as he cut himself off, looking to the side; he then stepped back while keeping an eye on the approaching jogger, holding up a finger. The sharp reply on the edge of her tongue died as the man, completely oblivious to the world with an ipod in his ears, passed right through Tommy without so much as a shiver.

"...yeah, it took a while to get used to."

She sat down on a bench, still staring at him wide-eyed, questions bubbling and dying on her lips before they could even part. He only hoped that she was willing to at least talk for a while now that he'd made his point.

(Her name rolled off the tongue far more nicely than he'd expected.  _Abigail…_

He could get used to saying that, he thinks.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so here's some Americest, only it's 2p/2pNyoAme involved. Yes, I know, oddball, but I think it could be fairly impressive in terms of snarkiness if done right. It's just a simple little Jack Frost-esque AU, but I still think it turned out fairly well.


	43. Snowboarding For Experts (Rocky Road)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing screams winter fun like racing down one of the steepest slopes in the region with your girlfriend.
> 
> 2pNyo!AmeCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Jan 27 2015

"So this is Devil's Slope." Abigail mused, one foot off her skateboard as she looked down the snowy path. "Looks cute."

"Don't underestimate it," Marie replied from nearby, her own set of snow goggles fitting over her eyes neatly. "Remember what happened to Tommy?"

"Pssh, that's cause he's a rookie and let himself get goaded into trying it too soon.  _We_ ," The American puffed out her chest. "are experts, and won't make the same dumb mistakes."

Marie scoffed, a hint of a smirk on her lips. "You mean  _I'm_  an expert. You're just  _decent_."

"Ex _cuse_  me?" Abigail turned to her girlfriend. "You wanna join him in the hospital?"

"The next time I'll see him is when I'm visiting you," The Canadian tilted her head away, making the goading smile even more potent.

"Those're fightin' words, canuck." The American rolled her shoulders, bending down in order to reattach her other boot to the board. "You wanna go?"

"Only if you can catch me, gorby." With that the Canadian took off, quickly accelerating down the slope, a thin wash of snow kicked up in her wake.

"Cheater!" Abigail yelled after her, quickly shoving herself off as well and grinning wildly as the cold air started whipping past.

The two danced around each other as they followed the trail, avoiding rocks and trees and other obstacles with wild laughter while performing the most impressive stunts they could. Abigail managed a 540 spin before hitting the snow after a ramp, while Marie pulled off a tricky board grab behind herself before quickly reorienting for a landing.

Then Marie found a low-lying boulder covered by the snow, abruptly forcing all her forward momentum up to her body and her her face first into the snow ahead, the snowboard dragging a trail behind her. After a few dazed seconds she lifted her head, spitting out snow that'd gotten into her mouth and feeling her face for any injuries.

Abigail, who'd turned to see what'd cause her girlfriend to faceplant so terribly, missed the tree ahead of her until she'd careened side first into a low hanging branch, sending her snowboard snapping forward than back as the rest of her was brought to a screeching halt. She fell to her ass with the grace of a deflated balloon, where she spent a minute attempting to catch her breath.

A minute passed before the two looked to each other again, their matching dazed expressions enough to snap them out of it with first small, then louder bursts of laughter as they caught up to what'd just happened.

"Expert my ass," Abigail cackled before wheezing, the pressure on her sore rib making it difficult to keep up. "You ate snow there like it's going outta style."

"Says the one who let herself run stomach-first into a tree." Marie shot back, pushing herself up to her knees while shaking out her hair. "What's your excuse for not seeing it?"

The American stuck out her tongue while shoving herself to her feet, using the tree she'd just been intimate with as a brace to keep herself from starting down the slope again. "I was making sure I didn't have to cart your sorry tush down the slope and call an ambulance."

"Aw, so sweet," Marie batted her eyelashes even though it couldn't be seen. "You  _do_  care after all."

"Yeah, yeah, shaddup." Abigail flushed lightly, looking away as Marie carefully got to her feet by bracing on another nearby tree. "Let's just get down the slope already so we can get some coffee; it's cold as fuck out here."

"Loser has to buy, then?" The Canadian challenged, allowing a grin to settle back into place.

"You're on," Abigail returned, pushing herself off with a laugh.

"Now who's cheating?" Marie shouted after before pushing off as well.

They hit the bottom of the slope soon after, Marie gloating in her victory while Abigail pouted. They pulled off their snowboards and trudged inside together, the last of the snow on them soon melting away in the heated building.

(Coffee flavored kisses were hardly the worst reward for the afternoon, even if it was with her own money.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, THIS is my last official winter piece. But hey, what better way to finish then with 2pNyo!AmeCan and their snowboarding antics?


	44. Way to End a Week (Mint Chocolate Chip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work getting you down? Not to worry, we have the thing just for you...
> 
> 2pAme1pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Feb 4 2015

Tommy never thought the sight of his small house would evoke so many joyful feelings at once, but after the Week From Hell that had been his networking job, it seemed anything was possible. Jesus Christ on a stick, did everyone in the world suddenly have to suffer electronic-related brain failure at the exact same time or something?

But that was all in the past now. As it was Friday, he had nothing but time with his adorable sweetie of a girlfriend for the next two and a fraction days, and the imaginary taste of maple cookies he'd tease her into making only had him grinning wider. No, there was absolutely nothing that was going to go wrong now that he was home-

-why were there flower petals on the stairs?

He stopped in the doorway, trying to figure out why an entire bouquet seemed to have exploded all over the staircase for several seconds before looking back out the door to tell him that yes, Emily was home early today - not unusual for a nurse who regularly took the shifts of co-workers who needed the day off and who occasionally took days off herself to relax - but she hadn't mentioned anything about it this morning… had she?

He couldn't really remember from his groaning about the Week finally being over after today-

He looked back to the flowers, the gesture finally clicking. It was an invitation, and one that promised quite a bit of fun in the very near future. Not something he'd expect from Emily, but she could be a real treat sometimes, and who was he to deny such a generous offer?

Laughing as he shucked off his shoes and jacket, Tommy navigated his way past the petals carefully; he reached the top only to see they continued most of the way to the bedroom door, which was halfway open and wafting something vaguely fruity. He whistled in appreciation - she'd really gone out for this, apparently.

(He wondered if it was her idea or not; she usually preferred smaller gestures.)

"Em?" He asked, pushing the door open slowly, only hearing now the radio quietly playing something low beat.

"Welcome home, dear," His girlfriend smiled from the bed, wearing something absolutely sexy he was almost sure she hadn't owned the last time he checked.

"I- wow," Tommy replied dumbly, really hoping at this point he hadn't fallen asleep at work and was merely dreaming all this up.

Her laugh was still the same, eyes crinkling under the dim lighting. "Do you like it? It took me all afternoon to set up."

" _Like_  it? For a minute I was wondering if my birthday came early or something."

"I'm glad," Emily replied as she pushed herself up off the bed. "You've been so stressed this week, I thought I'd come up with something…  _special_  to make it better."

"It's already gotten better," Tommy almost purred, getting into the mood now that he was caught up. He stepped forward, ready to join her in bed, only to pause as she held a hand up, still smiling herself.

"What's the hurry? I haven't even unwrapped myself for you yet…"

Tommy felt just a bit warmer at that, content to stand back and watch as she stood and reached behind herself to undo the bra. And waited, sympathy flaring at her frustrated expression before she managed to unlatch the hooks.

"Everything okay?" He asked; as great as the whole idea was, if she was starting to get annoyed with the foreplay he wouldn't make her keep going.

"Yeah, just fine." She replied, tossing the bra aside with a bit more force than needed. "Besides, we haven't even gotten to the real fun ye-"

Tommy hadn't even had time to react; one second she was stepping towards him, tugging at the edge of her panties, and the next she was sprawled forward on the floor, looking just as befuddled as he was. He glanced down to her feet, where he could see the small pile of petals she'd slipped on now thrown against the dresser.

His lip twitched once, twice, and then he was laughing, the mood whiplashed away so fast it'd taken a minute for the sheer absurdity of the whole thing to sink in.

Emily pouted, pushing herself up with a brief wince as she rubbed at her chin, which has been introduced rather intimately with the carpet. "That wasn't supposed to happen…"

Tommy's laughter died away to soft huffing as he stepped forward to help her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek once he was sure nothing was too severely injured besides her pride. "Nah, I figured it wasn't. What brought all this on, though?"

Her lips dipped into a frown, face heating as she looked away. "Well, I just thought you'd want something nice to cheer you up, since your week wasn't going all that great. I ended up talking to Abby about it during one of our lunch breaks, and she said I should try this…"

"Ah, that makes sense; this doesn't really seem your type of thing usually."

"I didn't think it'd be that hard to pull off…"

"Hey, no worries, yeah? I really appreciate the thought, even if it didn't work out." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, grinning when she smiled in reply. "Honestly, what I was hoping for when I got home was a fresh plate of your special cookies and some really hokey movies to watch."

"I think I can handle those," Emily agreed after a second's thought, lips twitching up. "But we should probably clean up first."

"Probably a good idea," Tommy agreed, before giving her an amused look, hands trailing down her sides. "Especially if you do it all dressed like this."

" _Tommy!_ " She scolded with a laugh, smacking his shoulder. He laughed as well, heading over to the closet to toss her some sweatpants and a shirt to wear.

What a way to start a weekend, but Tommy wouldn't have had it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I randomed 2pAme/1pNyoCan and 'Failed Strip Tease' as my prompts, and was just thinking of what to write when I also noticed the 'workplace woes' prompt from project-amecan. Sadly, I didn't get much in of the second, but hopefully the first will me more than enough entertainment for everyone. Enjoy!


	45. Lunch Break (Vanilla)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not hiding from the other Nations if your impromptu date with your boyfriend at some out of the way diner just happens to be right after you annoy most of them, right?
> 
> 1pAme1pCan, canonverse
> 
> Posted Feb 6 2015

"So, why'd you drag me out here?"

Alfred's gaze was pulled from the direction of the kitchens to his brother, who was looking more exasperated than annoyed at being pulled straight from the meeting to this old-style diner tucked away on a side street.

" 'Cause the food here is awesome, duh." The American replied, giving his northern twin a grin.

Matthew sighed, shaking his head. "You say that about almost every restaurant we go to."

"That's 'cause it's always true." Alfred's fingers taped an impatient rhythm on the counter between them, still somehow managing to stay in time with the music playing over the speakers. "...it might also be because I think I really pissed off a good chunk of Europe today and need someplace to hide where they won't find me."

"Ah, that explains it." The Canadian grinned lightly. "Insult their food again?"

"Nah, this time I might've implied some of them were, y'know, still stuck in the 16th century when it comes to some social issues."

Matthew whistled. "Damn, how'd you even get out of there alive?"

"Sheer awesome. Also bribing Peter and Gilbert to cause a distraction while I grabbed you and ran like hell."

The northern twin hummed. "We're not going back to the meeting this afternoon, are we?"

"Naaaaaaaahp, forget that." Alfred perked up. "Hey, maybe we can stop by the theater on the way back to my apartment and see if there's anything cool out."

"I'll think about it; I was sort of hoping to have some trade discussions with Yong Soo before you kidnapped me."

"Eh, you can skype him about it later, I'll let you use my laptop."

"So gracious of you," Matthew drawled out flatly.

"I know, right?" Alfred grinned knowingly. "Lunch, a movie, and my laptop? I'm just feeling gracious today."

"Hey, only I'm allowed to insult you like that, you ass," The Canadian reached across the table to swat at his twin, who leaned back while laughing.

"You can't tell me what to do," Alfred protested, sticking out his tongue and laughing more when Matthew threw a napkin in reply.

"Causing trouble already, Alfred?" Their waitress, who had just arrived in true rollerskate style, asked with a tolerate grin.

"You know it, Abby." He turned to her, all smiles. "Have I mentioned yet how lovely you look today?"

"You could do some more of it," Abby replied, setting the tray with their food down before handing over the plates. "Especially at times other than when I'm giving you your food. I'm almost starting to think you love the burgers more than me."

"Never," Alfred promised, laying a hand over his heart. "How could I when they always leave in the end, while you remain?"

Matthew and Abby snorted at the same time, the two sharing knowing looks before turning back to the American. "That was probably the hokiest thing you've ever said."

The Canadian added, with a laugh at the offended expression on his twin's face, "At least it's not as bad as the time he tried making maple syrup hearts on my pancakes and it ran everywhere."

" _You swore you'd never mention that,_ " Alfred hissed in mock betrayal while Abby threw her head back and cackled.

"God, I'd've paid to see that," She wiped a tear away as she finally managed to stop laughing. "I'll leave you two to it, then, since I have other tables to tend. Have fun!"

Alfred shook his head with a smile as she left, turning back to his food with all the enthusiasm of the six year old he still was inside. "Man, I've been waiting all week for this!"

Matthew laughed quietly as he picked up his sandwich and took a bite, watching his twin go through his food at a far faster rate than him. "Are you sure you don't love your burgers more than us?"

"Hey, I only wrote that prose on fast food _once_ , and it was to annoy Francis." Alfred grumbled, taking a long swig of his milkshake before setting it down, unheeding of the rim of ice cream now adoring his lip.

Matthew swallowed quietly, before deciding to throw caution to the wind. "Hey, Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

The Canadian leaned forward, wiping the vanilla shake away with his thumb and sucking it off, giving a very pointed look and smile when it caused his brother to suddenly go ramrod straight. "Missed a spot."

"You little…" The American choked out, before abruptly grinning viciously.

"Uh, Al?" Matthew leaned away warily, only to be pulled forward to Alfred licking at a spot right beside his mouth.

"Missed a spot yourself," He replied with a cheeky grin, licking his lips. "Dang, maybe I should've gone for the chocolate instead; tastes good today."

"We could always trade, you know," Matthew pointed out, though he already had a guess as to where this was going, and was hardly protesting the idea.

"We could," Alfred agreed. "Or we could just mix them together, ya know?"

The Canadian knew the mixing wasn't happening in the silver chrome cups at this point. "That sounds like an amazing idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request from someone on tumblr who needed cheering up after a bad week. I'm glad this worked out for you, and don't be afraid to send other requests!


	46. Valentine's Day (Caramel Maple Swirl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some gifts just keep on giving. Or: Matthew Williams outdoes all Valentine's gifts ever.
> 
> 1pCan/1pNyoAme/1pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted Feb 14 2015

"When are you getting home?" Eleanor's voice pleaded over the phone.

Matthew laughed softly, looking up to the small bakery he was in front of while waiting for the surprise he'd ordered earlier that day. "Just finishing up with a few things at work before I leave; I thought Em was coming home early."

"She's not here yet," Eleanor pouted over the line. "And I've been ready for tonight for like an  _hour_  now."

"You're the one who took the day off to set up for our big at-home date. Something about not being able to get decent tables anywhere because it's the weekend?"

"Mean," The American laughed. "See if I give you your Valentine's gift, you jerk."

"Just stating the facts," Matthew replied idly, seeing the lady who worked the register wave at him from inside. "Boss needs me for something fast - I'll call you back later, 'kay?"

"Love you, tell your boss he's a butt for keeping you late today for me."

"Will do," The Canadian agreed. "Love you too, and tell Em I said that to her too when she gets there."

"Will do," Eleanor echoed, making a smooching noise over the line before ending the call.

Matthew shook his head and walked inside, smiling at Erika. "All finished, then?"

"My brother just finished decorating it," She agreed, pushing the small box inside it forward. "He says he worked really hard to get it just right, and he'd really like you to be careful taking it home."

The last part was probably translated from something far less polite, but that wasn't really that far from normal for his Swiss friend. "Tell him I said thanks then, and that the cake looks amazing."

Erika smiled sweetly, lighting up when Matthew's tip came out to almost thirty percent. "This is too much!"

"It's almost Valentine's Day, and you two worked hard; I won't take no for an answer."

The Swiss woman nodded in acceptance. "I hope all three of you have a Happy Valentines Day, then!"

"You too! Don't work too late, you hear?"

Juggling the bag the small cake was in while digging out his keys wasn't easy, but somehow he managed to get the pastry into the car without causing it to shift and smear into one of the walls.

Ellie and Em were going to  _love_  it, he just knew it.

(Not that he wasn't eager to dig into the chocolate overload himself, but that was a lesser detail.)

His next stop on the way home was the pet shelter, a small building tucked away on a side street run by another old friend. The bell above the door jingled as he pushed it open, the noise drawing the attention of the pale blonde sitting at the front desk.

"Matvey!" Iryna beamed, setting her book aside. "Have you come to pick them up?"

"Yup, today's the day," He agreed, looking towards the side door where he knew the animals were kept. "They ready to go?"

"More than ready; they've gotten all their shots and have a clean bill of health. I think Natalka is feeding them right now, actually."

"I can wait for them to finish then; the girls need time to set up their surprise for me."

The Slavic woman laughed softly. "How are they doing?"

"Pretty well; Em recently got promoted, and Ellie's been over the moon about a recent project she's been working on with her group."

"And you?"

Matthew shrugged. "Same old, really. How've you three been?"

"We've been doing well; Natalka and Vanya are both about to get their degrees once the semester ends."

"Really now? Congratulations to them both then."

"I will let them know."

"Know what?" Ivan asked, stepping out of the backroom.

"I'm eloping with your sister to Tahiti," Matthew replied instantly, face carefully blank.

The taller man just raised an eyebrow. "Are you now?"

"Yes, it's a matter of passion. We're madly in love, you know."

"Mmm." He seemed far more amused than one would expect. "And of course Eleanor and Emily know about this, yes? It would be unfortunate if they found out from me."

"Point." Matthew conceded, shrugging with a good natured grin. "I was actually just congratulating you on your impending degree."

"Ah, thank you." Ivan smiled. "It has been difficult, but worth it, I feel."

"I hope it all works out for you. Oh, Natalya!"

The youngest of the siblings had just emerged from the side hall, attempting to get her hair back into a slightly more kempt state. "Hello, Matthew. You're here for the cats, then?"

"I am; are they done eating?"

"They should be, yes," She nodded. "You've filled out all the paperwork for them already?"

"Finished that up a few days ago."

Natalya nodded, gesturing for him to follow her. She led him down the short all to a door with a cat picture hanging from the door, pushing it open to the sounds of mewling and low growls. She led the way towards one of the larger cat pens near the back, stopping before one donned with a red tag reading 'ADOPTED' on the side.

"Hey there," Matthew greeted as he crouched down to look inside, grinning widely at the two little ragdoll kittens that immediately came over to investigate, their mother content to watch from the cat bed at the back. "You guys missed me?"

"I think they're all more than eager to get out and see the world," Natalya agreed, before giving Matthew a stern frown. "Though if I hear you actually let them do that without proper safety precautions, we will have words."

"Indoors only, promise." The Canadian promised, turning back to the nearly matched pair now pawing at his fingers poking through the grate. "No worries, though; I promise there's more than enough space to run around in at our place."

Though it took a few minutes to get the kittens and their mother into their respective carriers, along with all the basic food and supplies they'd need to properly settle in, Matthew still felt he'd managed to get out of there in record time, the trio making their complaints about the journey known from the back seat even with as carefully as he was going.

"We're almost there, I promise." He told them as he turned down the street to the house, grin widening as he imagine Eleanor and Emily's reactions to his Valentine's gift this year.

(They'd been discussing it on and off for months now, but there had never been time for all three of them to head down to the shelter together to pick out some pets to care for. He still kept their own hopes in mind when choosing - Emily wanted an older cat, Eleanor a kitten or two.

Wasn't it just fortunate then that he'd managed to learn about the new mother cat his friends had gotten in just a few weeks before Valentines?)

Pulling into the driveway, he rolled the windows down enough to give the three fresh air while he grabbed his bag and the cake (which had thankfully not started to melt in the car while he'd been away).

"Ellie? Em?" He called out, smiling innocently. "I'm home!"

"Mattiekins!" Eleanor cheered, ducking her head out from the kitchen, a smudge of flour on her cheek. "You're late."

"Well, I did have a few things to do before I got here," He replied cheekily, holding up the bag with the cake in it.

"Is that from Basch and Erika?" She gasped, eyes lighting up. "You didn't."

"I might have been lying a bit in order to buy myself time to get this." He told her, leaning forward to smooch her as she did the same.

"Sneak," She laughed, taking the bag from him and quickly bringing it to the kitchen, where Emily was just pulling a tray of cookies from the oven.

"Hey, Mattie," She greeted as he stepped forward to greet her, the two exchanging their own smooches after she set the tray down. "I see you brought cake."

"It's freakin' gorgeous, Em, take a look," The American gestured, carefully setting the lid to the side to better showcase the hard work Basch had put into it.

White frosting all around, with three connected red, green, and blue hearts surrounded by a half dozen nearly matched strawberries decorating the top - truly a simplistic masterpiece. It was almost a shame to destroy it, but in the end it'd be more of a waste to not eat it, masterpiece or not.

"Oh, before I forget, I have another present back in the car," Matthew told them idly, gesturing outside. "It's just a bit much for me to carry in on my own."

"So you're making us do the lifting for you?" Emily teased, leading the way outside as Eleanor followed them both. "And here I thought you were the big strong man in the relationship."

"I'm sure I would be if Ellie couldn't bench press me whenever she feels like." He agreed, hiding his grin as he pulled on the car door.

"That's just because I'm awesome and you kn-  _holy shit you didn't!_ "

The two woman made equally high squeals on spotting the cat carriers, the noise prompting the kittens to start mewling again and induce more squealing.

"Surprise!" He told them while holding back a laugh, allowing the two to grab a carrier each before grabbing the last one himself; he'd be back out for the rest in a few minutes while Emily and Eleanor were suitably distracted inside. "Iryna just got them in last month, and I knew they'd be perfect the second I saw the three of them."

"What're their names?" Ellie asked, cooing at the little paw batting at the hole her finger was tapping.

"The one you have is Belle, the one Em has is Winnie, and the one I have is their mom, Juniper."

"A whole family," Emily grinned widely as they reentered the house, the door being closed carefully before the carriers were brought into the living room and opened.

The kittens immediately tumbled out, eyes wide and they stared around and smelled and listened to the new place they were in. Juniper hopped out a bit less hastily, more concerned with her children than the setting change for the immediate moment.

"Oh my gosh, they're ragdolls," Eleanor pressed her hands to her mouth, nearly in tears. "You're the best in the universe, Mattie."

"I try," He grinned, elated to see the two immediately enamored as he'd been for nearly a month. "You two mind if I bring in their food and beds while you get to know each other?"

"Go ahead," Emily muttered distractedly, letting the mother cat smell her while the two kittens tried to attack her socked foot. "Hello there, Juniper sweetie…"

By the time he'd finished, Belle and Winnie were taking a trek around the room, investigating every nook and cranny while Eleanor recorded her excited commentary over their actions through her smartphone. Juniper was investigating elsewhere, seeming to perk up when the more familiar Matthew reentered the scene.

"Having fun there?" He asked, crouching down and letting her come over, picking her up once she was assured he was familiar.

"They're gorgeous, Mattie," Emily grinned, pressing another kiss to her boyfriend's cheek before carefully starting to scratch behind the cat's ears, laughing softly when Juniper started purring in reply. "I can't believe you managed to pull this off."

"I know you two have been hoping for this for a while; I figured now was as good a time as any."

"Thank you," She replied. "From both of us."

"You're welcome." He replied back, pressing another kiss to her cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too."

"Love you both," Eleanor joined in, having overheard them and temporarily abandoned her commentary to join them; she kissed both of them on the lips before hugging them tight and beaming. "This is hands down the best Valentine's Day ever, and it's not even til tomorrow!"

"I guess that just means it can only get better from here, right?"

"Damn straight."

Juniper demanded to be let down right then, drawing laughter from the three as she immediately went over to where her kittens were. The three humans of the house joined them as well, settling onto the couch together as they turned the TV onto something innocuous, their planned movie night all but forgotten in favor of their new home entertainment.

(At least they eventually remembered the sweets in the kitchen.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines! I decided to mix things up a bit by writing a threesome - 1pCan/1pNyoAme/1pNyoCan! I have no idea what to call this ship - Caramel Maple Cookies? Whatever it is, it was disgustingly cute and fun to write even with friends claiming I was going to make it sads, which I refused to do because we needed genuine cuteness today of all day!


	47. Dressing Up (Chocolate)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy lost a bet to his girlfriend, so now he has to man up and... dress up? Really?
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pAme, Americest, human AU
> 
> Posted Feb 28 2015

"Quit squirming, will ya?" Eleanor grumbled, pulling back briefly to frown.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Tommy sighed, flushed lightly. "It's my first time doing this."

"Which is why you need to do what I tell you to do. I promise it gets better, kay?" She leaned forward again, holding his chin carefully with one hand.

"It'd better, or I'm not doing this again." He obediently leaned back, allowing her to settle more into his lap.

She gave him a look. "Hey, you agreed to it, you can put up with it. And I'm almost done anyways."

"Thank god," He replied, sighing in relief only to yelp when she pinched his cheek for moving again.

"Hold still." Once Tommy was suitably cowed, she smiled and returned to her task, sticking her tongue out and ignoring the grin threatening to spill out over his face as she carefully twisted her wrist up. Nodding in approval of her work, she moved to the other eye, drawing the mascara along the lashes so that it balanced out. "And done."

The brunet blinked several times while waiting for Ellie to reach over and grab her mirror so he could examine her work. Besides the mascara, he could see the light eyeshadow and flush she'd talked him into trying on, neither of which were nearly as heavy or obvious as he'd feared she'd put on him. "Huh."

"See, I told you you'd look great with a little makeup." The blonde teased, pulling the mirror away long enough to kiss him.

"It's not  _bad_ , I guess." He half-denied, not sure whether he was actually allowed to admit to sorta kinda liking it or if that'd revoke all his man points.

Eleanor's grin told him she understood, though, pinching the end of his nose with a bubbly laugh before pushing herself up from the bed they'd been reclining on. "Alright, you ready for the next part?"

Tommy sat up, automatically making a face at the garter belt she held up meaningfully before taking a breath and relaxing. It wasn't that extravagant a piece - just a pair of stockings attached to a plain pair of panties with a see-through mesh over them, rimmed with just a bit of lace. Again, she could have gone for more embarrassment, but hadn't.

Then again, this had all been a challenge he'd inadvertently set when he'd offhandedly mentioned guys couldn't pull off the same sexy looks women could. He'd bite the bullet if it'd make her happy.

"C'mon now, you can't pull these on over jeans," Eleanor teased, gesturing to him and pointing out that, though his shirt had come off a while ago, he'd yet to remove anything else.

Tommy looked from the garter belt and stockings to his girlfriend, closed his eyes, and nodded, unzipping and pulling off his jeans and then his underwear. "Are you sure these will even fit?"

"Duh," Eleanor told him with a grin, stepping forward to show how the edges of the panties were just past the side of his hips. "Why do ya think I spent all that time measuring you down there?"

"And here I was thinking that was just an excuse to get into my pants," He teased back, taking the panty/mesh combo from her and slowly sliding it up until it was fully on.

Eleanor laughed. "Not  _only_."

The two managed, with a bit of work, to get the stockings to slide up his legs before Ellie hooked them into place, Tommy standing up so she could walk around him and make sure it was all in place.

"Looks perfect to me!" She grinned in victory once she finished, beaming and giving him a thumbs up with a wink before looking him over again with no small amount of appreciation. "You really pull this off; I'm almost jealous. Lemme just go find the last piece for ya, alright?"

"'Kay." Tommy turned to her full body mirror while she started digging through her closet, running his hands over the sides of the mesh underwear. Again, he surprised himself by admitting that his girlfriend did know how to pick out clothing, even if it felt really weird on him.

(Maybe giving her a chance to dress him up hadn't been a bad idea after all.

Alex was  _never_ hearing about this, though.)

"Found it!" Ellie cheered, showing off the small dress she'd picked out for the occasion - it, like the garter belt, was a plain black that looked like it would only just go past his hips.

He raised his eyebrows but didn't comment, crouching down so she could help him wriggle his way into it. She spent the next minute patting down all the wrinkles before stepping back, looking him over with a slowly widening grin as she hummed in some form of approval.

"So?"

"I'm really tempted to kiss the life out of you right now." Eleanor admitted shamelessly. "Or maybe even have you wear that while I give you the ride of your life."

"Why not both?" Tommy wondered out loud, turning to actually look himself over in the mirror, stopping short as he actually took in his full appearence. "...huh."

( _That_  was an understatement.)

"I know, right?" Eleanor walked back over, wrapping arms around his waist from behind while watching him look over himself in the mirror. "I told you I could make you look amazing in a dress."

"Mmm." He hummed nonchalantly, resting his hands over hers before chuckling. "Fine, you win, though I don't think ever was ever much of a challenge there."

"Aw, you flatter me." She fluttered her lashes at him before placing a kiss to his cheek, pulling away so he could turn to face her. "But you've been a great sport, so I think it's time to make those cookies I've been promising."

"You know me too well," Tommy grinned, just starting to pull up on the dress before she reached over to pull them away with a grin.

"Ah ah ah," She waggled a finger in front of her face. "I won the bet, so you have to wear that for the rest of the day. Fair's fair, right?"

The brunet opened his mouth to complain out of habit, then shut it before nodding sheepishly. Eleanor beamed, kissing him again before turning to leave the room, Tommy following after only after one last glance to the mirror.

(...maybe he'd let her dress him up again in the future. It made her cheery enough, after all…)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting about, then rediscovering, my love for people in sexy outfits. Suits, dresses, lingerie, whatever – as long as it looks good, it looks GREAT.
> 
> (Exploring Tommy's sort of genderfluidity is something I need to do more of but it's tricky in unrelated drabbles sometimes.)


	48. Royal Summons (Black Walnut)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marie is thankful she has one person she can trust more than anything.
> 
> 2pAme2pNyoCan, (space) royalty AU, AmeCan
> 
> Posted March 29 2015

"You called?"

Empress Marie Hapaeatus Naeli Delacroix, ruler of most of the inhabited Alpheus star system, turned towards her servant Thomas with only the faintest smile in place. "I did; your timing's impeccable as always."

"I try, your majesty," He replied, keeping his head bowed until she'd waved the guards out. Only once she lifted his chin up did he relax, grinning at her relaxed smile. "Long week?"

"Try a month," She sighed, drifting back to her throne and falling into it a bit less gracefully than usual. "Why are people incapable of solving their own issues without bringing it up with me first?"

"Because you're the wise and all knowing empress of half a dozen planets? Ow!" He laughed quietly as she threw a shoe at him, rubbing at his shin as he brought it back over to her. "You've only known what you were getting into since you were three, after all."

"That doesn't mean I particularly care about who has first claim to some small meteor on the outer edge of the system when there are several billion similar rocks floating around out there." Marie frowned up at him. "Sit down next to me, would you?"

Thomas tilted his head in acquiescence, turning before sitting down, his back leaning against the base of the throne. Her hands started running slowly through his bristly hair, drawing a soft hum from him. "It's not just trade agreements bothering you, is it?"

"No," Marie conceded, letting her hand fall back to the throne. "It's the suitors."

Thomas turned enough so she could see his sympathetic expression. "Which ones? The loud one, the louder one, the maybe-a-pirate one, or the ones who thought to bring flowers?"

"All of them," She replied in a heartbeat, letting her head fall back as her eyes shut. "Especially when they got into a brawl at that one hotel down the main street."

"Oh, yeah, didn't that take a week to clean up?" He asked.

"The only good thing about that was that I was allowed to ship them all off planet for a few weeks until they repaid the managers and the staff. Unfortunately, that gives them more time for their messages."

The disgust in her voice had him laughing until she smacked him on the side of the head. "How bad have those gotten?"

"The last few  _sang_."

"Oh no," Thomas grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling from withheld laughter. "I can have the system filter those to a separate file if you want. Or would you rather have me ask them politely to stop?"

"Please do both if you can," She pleaded. "If I never have to deal with them again, it'll be far too soon."

"Your wish is my command," He intoned solemnly, though some of the effect was lost with the smile still in place. "You know, you could always just declare yourself uninterested in marriage. It's not like anyone could contest it."

"I could, but then parliament would fret over potential heirs, no matter that there are a half dozen ways to guarantee one that no longer requires wedlock nor my incapacitation for most of a solar cycle."

"'Incapacitation'," Thomas repeated. "Is that what it's called these days?"

"I have at least a hundred years ahead of me," She sighed. "And my father didn't even have me until he was sixty. I fail to see why they're worrying about it now when I'm not even half that yet."

"If we knew, we wouldn't need them," He shrugged. "It's one of the mysteries of politicians."

Marie groaned. "It's one I could do without, thanks. In addition, if I made such a declaration, it'd only cause a bigger scandal later on if I decided to allow someone to court me."

"True," Thomas conceded. "So what does that leave you?"

"Choosing one, or choosing none."

"The first leaves you stuck with someone you barely know, and the second leaves them panting at your step, with more to come in the future as you hold out."

She made a face. "You manage to make both sound so unappealing."

"Just stating it as is," He replied, humming in thought. "I could have some people start looking through the backgrounds of all of your suitors so you can see if any of them seem remotely appealing."

Marie exhaled. "That would probably be a start, and calm the ruffled feathers if I at least pretend to be considering them."

"And if you string it along enough one or two might even drop out, leaving you with a few less headaches." Thomas added cheerfully.

"Wouldn't that be something," She marvelled, turning back to him. "In the end, no matter who I choose, it will likely only be for the empire and not for me."

"That's the price of royalty, I suppose," He shrugged.

"At the least, I have you," She noted quietly, pulling him close in a half-hug.

"Always, your majesty."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing super exciting, but at least it's sweet. I originally had something else planned, but... well, it wasn't working out, so have this instead.


	49. Interesting (Rainbow Sherbet)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abigail Sutters finds Matthew Williams to be a very interesting housemate.
> 
> 2pNyoAme1pCan, Hogwarts AU
> 
> Posted April 19 2015

For a halfblood - well, for any wizard, really - Matthew Williams is absolutely fascinating. Abigail Sutters is two years above him, meaning they don't share classes, but that doesn't stop her from watching her fellow Slytherin out of the corner of her eye during meals, especially when he's gone over to chat with that twin of his over in Ravenclaw.

She knows most of her house overlooks him, simply because he keeps his head down and doesn't cause waves, like the traditionalists seem to feel is proper. That works just fine for her, because she doesn't think at this point she wants to share the boy she's slowly pieced together from overheard conversations and that gleam in his eyes that says that he's got plans for the future and the world be damned if it tries to get in his way.

She wants to get to know him, to understand just what drives him and where he's going, because it might be her only chance to get to know someone (perhaps even two, considering he seems to be a package deal) who has a good chance of going places in the world, both metaphorically and physically.

(Lord, what she would give to get out of Britain and see the world, but her parents had always been firm believers that there was nothing out there that wasn't better on this little island.)

Abigail sits back in her seat, chewing on a slice of toast idly which watching the doors. She's decided today is the day she's going to talk to him, and she doesn't want to miss this opportunity merely because it's breakfast. Besides, he was far more likely to be open to the idea if he had just woken up, and having a few more things working for her didn't hurt any.

She smiles around her goblet as he walks in besides his brother, the two chatting as they head for the Ravenclaw table. She waits a minute before getting up, because interest is one thing, but eagerness is quite another thing, one that could and would be exploited.

The other Ravenclaw boy is the first to notice her approach, raising an eyebrow as she saunters to a stop in the obviously open bench besides the trio and drawing the twins' attention. "Is this seat open?"

She sits without waiting for a reply, reaching over for a blueberry muffin as the twins have a quiet conversation, their eyes flickering between each other and herself as she takes a pointed bite of her breakfast. Now it's just a matter of being smart, but at fifteen, she feels she can handle that much.

The third part of the odd little group is the first to confront her, probably because he isn't part of their conversation either. "I didn't realize Matthew had friends in the upper years."

"I didn't, either," Matthew replies, giving her a look that was more questioning than pointed, but he got props for the attempt, at least. "Aren't you the Sutters heir?"

"I am," She replies simply, pleased to know he did pay attention to house politics and pecking order. "And you're Matthew Williams."

"I am," He replies carefully, trying to see what she wanted without outright asking. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe," Abigail replies in turn. "Depends on how interesting you prove yourself to be."

"How interesting?" Matthew frowns, looking a bit less suspicious and a bit more confused.

"Mmm," She takes another bite of her muffin before continuing. "Most of the people in Slytherin don't have much in the way of ambition besides filling their parent's spots in society once they're old enough, but you? You've got the gleam that says you want something, and if it's good enough, I might want in."

She pauses, grinning, then adds, "Not to mention you're cute."

The younger Slytherin sputters while his twin grins, at least until he turns back to her with a more serious expression. "You aren't trying to use my brother, are you?"

"Only as much as you probably would," Abigail leans forward, frowning a bit herself.

"Somehow I doubt that," The Ravenclaw twin gives her a look. "I don't think I can tell you or Matt to not be friends if he wants to, but I swear to God if I find out you're just playing him…"

She can tell he's serious about the threat, and from what she's heard about his experiments so far, she's not interested in being a test subject, willing or otherwise. "Trust me, I have far better things to do with my time than pretend to be friends with someone for kicks. Besides, if he wants good connections in Slytherin before he graduates, I'm one of the best people he can buddy up to."

She polishes off her breakfast, smoothly lifting her legs up and over the bench before pushing herself up from her seat. "Talk to me later if you're interested; I'll be around."

She can feel their gazes following her as she leaves the Great Hall and smiles. Overall, not too bad of a first impression, and she hadn't had to lie once. Hopefully he would live up to her expectations, because she really didn't want to come out of this empty handed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set in the same verse as my older Hogwarts things from forever ago. Nothing exciting, just something I wanted to play with. Also, for all Matt likes to be sneaky, Abby can be far more so when going for what she wants.


	50. Ascending (Strawberry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is not thrilled at the idea of flying without something between him and the open air, but Marie shows him it's not that bad.
> 
> 2pCan2pNyoCan, Cancest, Human AU, Distant Future AU
> 
> Posted May 6 2015

Alex had understood, when he'd been reassigned to a new branch of the company on some low-grav world (Thebas, wasn't it?), that things would be different, not just in terms of how the planet looked and felt, but in how the people already there lived. He'd read up on the place after he'd found out about the move, but there hadn't been a whole lot to work with aside from from nice pictures and the fact that, thankfully, this seemed to be an open-air colony world and not one of those bubble worlds.

(He'd grown up in the open near-wilds - a first generation child born from the initial settlers - and even as developed as the planet had become in the past thirty years, he still didn't like the idea of being contained inside a bubble of air and fabric that only needed one tear to send everything into the hostile environment of the world outside.

It might be paranoid - after all, such an accident hadn't happened in seventy years - but the idea still left him leery none the less.)

The ship ride there left him thankful he didn't suffer from claustrophobia - the small, compact designs meant to reduce weight as much as possible (so as to ease work on the FTL drives) did not lead to comfort or room for passengers, especially taller ones like himself. By the time they landed several days later, he was infinitely glad that, bar an act of God or upper management, he wouldn't have to go through that experience ever again.

(Seriously, starship pilots were  _insane._ )

The half hour he was then left to wait for the woman coming to pick him up - Marie Delacroix, he recalled - allowed him to get his first real sense of the place. It was more completely developed than his homeworld of Aradyn, probably due to being settled fifty years beforehand, and a bit dimmer since it was slightly further from its star. The light filtering through the glass ceiling illuminated the local plants, which were all tinted towards yellow even though they looked perfectly healthy - were they just naturally that color then?

The people walking by were easy enough to divide into 'locals' or 'visitors' based on the swirly patterning that seemed to by the fashion norm here - at least, if the promos his datapad had been bombarded with meant anything, anyways. In addition, there had been a rather large amount of advertising for what looked like robotic wings, of all things; and yes, once he looked back up at the people passing by, he could make out the metallic packs on their backs that could hold them should they fold up.

He'd thought that was just a sports thing, not a cultural thing. Maybe he should have read more in that article…

"Hey," Someone asked from beside him, startling him from his thoughts. "You Alexander Danson?"

Alex looked up to his sudden companion, who looked just like the image he'd been shown before he'd gotten on the ship. "I am; Marie Delacroix?"

"That's me," She replied, looking him over before nodding. "Good, you aren't wearing anything heavy, so you shouldn't overheat on the flight there."

"Flight?" He asked as he stood up, following after her. "We're catching a shuttle?"

"Shuttle?" She chuckled, glancing back at him with a grin curving her lips up. "Oh no, it's not that far."

"Then-" He stopped, remembering the flight packs he'd seen the locals wearing, and paled just a bit. "Shit."

"Aw, don't worry, I'm sure you won't make too much of an idiot of yourself," Marie comforted, showing him outside and to the side, where a small stand for rental packs stood right by a takeoff platform. "Even kids figure them out in a few minutes."

"Gee, thanks," Alex replied dryly, looking past the owner of the small shop to the dull, uniform packs designed for mass use. "Do I need one to get around?"

"Of course not," She replied, looking almost surprised. "There are footpaths and ground transport for people who want to stretch their legs or whatever; flying's just faster and more direct. Now c'mon, at least give it a shot before swearing it off for good - work's probably gonna be a fair distance from your house if I heard right about you wanting an outskirt place."

He grimaced as she handed over the pack, putting it on and, after a bit of fumbling got it in place, glancing back to where she was just dropping a grin. "Let's just get it over with."

Marie turned to face him once they were out on the platform, hands on her hips as she gave him a serious look. "This isn't as hard as you think it is; the tech's sound, there's safety catches for if you fall, and I'll be there if you get off course. The only thing you need to worry about is getting over your first instinct of freaking out when there's nothing between you and the ground aside from your wings."

"I'm pretty sure there's a good reason that's a first instinct," He pointed out, grinning when she huffed in response.

"The longer you stretch this out, the less time you'll have to look around the office before I show you to your place."

"Go ahead then," Alex shrugged, watching as she reached up to press a button near her right shoulder, allowing the thin duraplastic wings to unfold from their casing. Huh, she didn't seem the person he'd peg to have violet butterfly-styled wings; more like a rock rooster. Or maybe a pigeon.

She threw up a rude gesture with her hand once he admitted this out loud, finally deciding to just get on with it rather than allow the back and forth to continue. "Once your wings are out and running, all you have to do is hop up like this-"

Marie crouched down, glancing up to him before shoving herself up and off the ground - and hovering there, the wings adjusting themselves as they hummed and fluttered to keep her in place a foot off the platform. "See? Easy. Give it a try."

Alex grimaced, reaching up for the same spot she'd had her activation button and pressing it down, stumbling back a bit as weight redistributed itself before settling out into bird-like wings the same plain grey as the pack. Seeing as they weren't doing much besides adjusting themselves slightly in the light breeze, he took a breath, closed his eyes, and mimicked her.

When his feet failed to hit the ground again, his eyes snapped open in a burst of panic, his arms waving before he remembered he wasn't falling off the edge but just hovering, much like his far too amused companion.

"Having fun?" She asked, grin widening as he threw his own rude gesture at her. "C'mon, you've got the hard part over with, so all you have left is the flight itself."

Alex glanced down to the dropoff off the side of the platform pointedly.

"These things self-stabilize - you aren't gonna fall unless you do something extremely stupid like deactivate them or do loops, and only adrenaline junkies really do that sort of thing around here." She leaned forward, causing her to drift forward until she could grab his hand. "Just lean forward, and it'll do the rest. Leaning left or right just a bit is enough to get it to turn, so don't overdo it, and when you want to stop just lean back up and it'll slow down so you can land."

"Right," Alex swallowed, allowing himself to slowly get dragged forward until they were over the edge, his gaze firmly staying on her as they accelerated towards the local town. By the halfway point he was stable enough for her to let go, allowing her to make lazy loops up and around him while he focused on just staying straight - the turning seemed to be fairly sensitive, and this pack tended to favor the left, requiring him to correct a few times when he drifted.

"Not too bad, am I right?" She asked after another minute, grinning cheerfully.

"It's fine, I guess," He replied after a bit of thought, figuring that if anything it was a hell of a way to get a tour of the place. Maybe he'd grow to like it here after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably about as close to wingtalia as I'll ever get, since ngl even though I love Alfred with wings the body mechanics and stuff just do not make sense without liberal application of magic and just – yeah. Besides, I need more scifi AUs and where else to put them all but here?
> 
> Also slowly working through all the pairs I haven't written yet – I only have a few more until I can say I've written every version of AmeCan, Americest, and Cancest possible! Which should be cool ahahah.


	51. Nightmares (Strawberry Cheesecake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need someone there to chase off the nightmares.
> 
> 2pNyoAme1pNyoCan
> 
> Posted June 15 2015

No no no, this couldn't be happening, this was wrong, they had said it was safe to go in, she had to get out, had to get away, but everything was collapsing in and she was going to die-

"-Abby!"

Abigail snapped awake, chest heaving as she came back to reality slowly. After a few shuddering breaths she was able to identify the woman over her as her girlfriend Emily, face creased with worry. Right, she was in bed, in Emily's house, totally safe-

"Another nightmare?" The Canadian asked quietly.

"...it's fine," Abigail exhaled and shut her eyes briefly, too tired to outright lie. "Not as bad this time."

"Mmm," Emily hummed, running a hand across the Native woman's forehead and brushing back bangs. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yeah," Abigail agreed after a bit. "Yeah, that sounds good."

She felt the bed shift, the floorboards under the rug creaking quietly as Emily walked into the bathroom. Pushing herself up until she was sitting upright, she glanced to the time while the water ran in the other room - 3:14 AM - before turning her attention back to her girlfriend as she returned with a glass of water. She yawned before accepting it with both hands so as to hopefully not spill it like a dope, grateful for something to distract her temporarily.

Emily crawled back under the sheets beside her, cool body curling up next to her as she laid a hand on Abby's thigh. She didn't press for anything else, simply allowing the brunet to slowly drink her water and take comfort in the presence of the woman beside her, which Abby was ever thankful for, because she wasn't sure she could-

Well, Emily already understood anyways, and there was always the morning.

The Canadian's gentle hand rubbed slow circles on her thigh, more than once coming close but never touching the mostly-healed burn there. Abby exhaled much more slowly as she finished off the glass, setting it on the counter before curling back up under the sheets with her girlfriend and twisting so they were face to face.

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep again tonight?" Emily asked quietly, moving her legs to tangle them up with Abigail's own.

"Yeah, I think so," Abby smiled, wrapping her arms around the other woman and holding her close. "Thanks, Em."

"No problem," Her voice smiled warmly in the dark. "Sleep well."

"You too."

The rest of the night was free of nightmares, to both of their reliefs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short piece, but slowly grinding out the last couple of pairs I haven't written yet. So close! This was the last AmeCan, only have an Amecest and Cancest ship each left to do!


	52. Birthday Breakfast (Cherry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew wakes up to an interesting surprise.
> 
> 1pCan2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 1 2015

Matthew startled awake when something clattered downstairs, blinking wearily as he tried to figure out what was going on and if there was an intruder. The clock read 6:45, about a half hour before he usually started to wake up, and the bed beside him was empty.

He rubbed at his eyes before grabbing his glasses and putting them on, wondering why in the world Marie would be up before him during the middle of their joint vacations and what she was doing downstairs, if it was even her and not someone else. He had the niggling feeling he was forgetting something, and glanced down to make sure he still had his pajama pants on, because the only thing more awkward than dealing with an intruder was dealing with one without pants on.

Whew, he was good there.

Yawning, he guiding himself out of the door and to the staircase with a hand on the wall just to keep himself from accidentally falling flat on his face, stopping at the top to listen to the muffled swearing from the kitchen. Well, that definitely was Marie, but what was she…

By the time he reached the bottom, the wild thought that she might be trying to cook struck him, although it would be an odd aboutface for the woman who had never been culinarily inclined beyond managing a microwave or a pot of Kraft Dinner. Of course, actually seeing her struggling with a bowl of what might have been batter, flour in her hair and shirt while she mixed the ingredients with a bit more force than necessary was actually more than a bit entertaining.

"Stupid fucking recipe," He could hear her grumbling clearly now, her failure to notice the man now leaning against the doorway and watching her adding to his amusement. "This is why no one makes shit from scratch anymore."

Glancing past her to the messy kitchen counter, he raised an eyebrow to see his waffle iron pulled out. Was that what was going on? Why hadn't she just pulled out the batter mix or, easier yet, the frozen waffles they kept in case of breakfast emergency?

Marie turned around to set the bowl down on the counter with a frustrated sigh, stopping when her eyes locked with Matthew's and instantly starting to flush about being caught in the act. "Uh… morning?"

"Good morning to you too," He laughed quietly, pushing off from the doorway to walk over and wipe some of the flour off of her. "I definitely wasn't expecting to wake up to this. What's the occasion?"

"What's the-" She blinked, finally adopting her favored lopsided smile. "Well, that'd just spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it?"

"I know it's not our anniversary, that was last month…" Matthew frowned, about to turn to look at the calendar for a hint before she stopped him, hand holding lightly onto his chin.

"Ah ah, no cheating, but I will give you a hint. You remember what's coming up this weekend?"

He tapped his fingers against his leg a few times before he remembered the phone call from his brother cheerfully asking if they were coming down for his birthday, which of course had been an affirmative because they almost always came to each other's-

Oh.  _Oh._  Matthew flushed at forgetting his own birthday, Marie laughing as she let her hand drop to pat him on the cheek.

"There there, I know you don't have much in terms of brain power before you get your coffee - there's some in the pot if you want it, although its my blend and not yours."

"That's fine," He replied once he had some of the embarrassment under control, planting a kiss on her cheek as he brushed past. "Do you want help finishing this up since I'm here?"

"It;s supposed to be your birthday breakfast, what do you think?" She asked.

Matthew turned from the coffee machine after pouring himself a cup and raised an eyebrow.

Marie flushed herself after a bit, glancing away. "...fine, but at least I tried, so gimme some credit. Abby makes it look easy."

"Abby," He pointed out as he set his cup to the side to take over the rest of the preparations. "Has a competitive streak a mile wide and refused to be worse than Alfred when it came to cooking, so she spent a lot of time and effort and money to learn how."

"True," Marie replied thoughtfully, brushing at her hair and frowning when it came back patched in white. "Ugh, I think I'm gonna need a shower after this."

"We can take one together," Matthew told her innocently, pouring some of the batter into the waffle iron and closing the lid, setting the rest to the side. "Save on water and all that."

"Sounds like a plan to me," She grinned, looking far more enthused about the prospect now.

(Overall, it was a fairly nice way to start your birthday, even if he'd slipped on a stray patch of flour and left her pealing with laughter as he picked himself up again.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins my month from hell! I already tossed up the Thunderbird thing (though that's more the end of June than start of July so yeah), and now comes the Canada Day drabble with some RVP. BYFA update should come soonish as I just need to actually write it out. Let's see how far I can go with the hype train!


	53. Beauty And the Beast (Coffee)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once, there was a royal family cursed by a witch, dooming the castle to fall into obscurity and myth as those who could fled. A long time later, someone just happens to stop by for the night to escape the storm...
> 
> 1pAme2pNyoAme
> 
> July 3 2015

The horse came to a nervous stop before the large gates, snorting her displeasure with having had to make her way along an old forest path, doubly so because the ground was soggy from the storm that had rolled in earlier that morning and had yet to abate. Her rider, hunched into the cloak to avoid getting soaked, pushed back his hood just enough to look up at the towers rising over the abandoned looking castle and whistled.

"You think there's any treasure still in here, Uni?"

Uni snorted again, turning its head to give her rider an unimpressed look.

Alfred huffed and ran a hand down her neck. "Hey, I'm just trying to think about the next time we're near a city, alright? The rich folk just eat up old artifacts from places like this, which means I could finally buy you a new saddle and get you some of those sugary treats you like."

The horse seemed to genuinely consider this, tilting her head to look to the castle before giving a nearly human sigh of defeat and plodding her way over to the gate so her rider could hop down and open it. Alfred had barely reached out to touch it, though, before it creaked open, leaving enough room for them to pass through. The human laughed nervously, pulling his cloak around him a bit more tightly.

"Guess the gate's pretty loose on its hinges, huh? Let's get going before the wind blows it closed again."

Uni gave him another skeptical look before complying, jumping a bit when the gate closed behind them with a bit more force than could be accounted for by the breeze. The path wound up and around a bit until they finally reached the castle proper, which didn't seem quite as run down from up close as he'd thought. Alfred chalked it up to solid engineering as he got off his mount by the stables, leading her into the dryest stall he could find before pulling out her brush and a bag of feed.

By the time they'd both had a chance to eat and she was cooled down, the sky was getting dark, and the storm still had yet to abate. After pulling out her travel 'bed' - just a thicker sheet she could lie down and sleep on so she wasn't on the ground, fussy as she was - he made his way back around to the front entrance, figuring he could at least find somewhere comfy enough to rest for the night.

The doors took a bit more force to open than the gates, and thankfully only closed once he pushed them shut himself, easing away his worries of earlier, even if the darkened halls gave him a slight case of the creeps.

"I really hope this place doesn't have any ghosts…" Alfred muttered, making his way further in and completely missing the inhuman eyes watching quietly from the shadows above.

Fortunately, most of the castle seemed to have windows placed close enough together to provide some amount of lighting even as the sun started to sick, casting long shadows where it peeked inside still. Alfred had peeked into several rooms along the way, finding a library, the kitchens, and a large room that could have hosted parties, but nowhere he could really sleep unless he wanted to join Uni outside for the night.

Needless to say, the option didn't appeal to him, especially since it was still damp outside, but if the alternative was sleeping on the floor in here, then the body heat of his mare would at least counteract the chill of being outside better than stone or old carpet. He sighed, turning around to trace his path back out, and screamed as something leapt down and landed in front of him.

"And where do you think you're going, little sneak?"

Alfred would later swear up and down that he was definitely knocked out and did not in fact faint after shrieking like some unnamed people claimed, thank you very much.

~0~0~

The sun was just peeking up over the eastern horizon when Alfred stirred awake, fingers running against fabric for several seconds before he realized he couldn't remember going to bed last night. Then his last recollections of the previous night came back and he snapped up, fully awake and clutching the sheets tightly.

"It was just a nightmare, Alfred…" He muttered to himself, shaking his head. "You were tired and stumbled into here, and then you had a nightmare because of how spooky the place is, that's all."

He'd almost convinced himself that was the truth despite the evidence otherwise, like the fact he was under the sheets instead of sprawled haphazardly on top, as well as the fact that his cloak was folded neatly at his feet. Then, of course, the creature from last night walked in, easily taller than him despite being on all fours.

"Finally awake then?" It asked, grinning sharply. "For someone so jumpy, you sure sleep like the dead."

"I, ah," He stuttered, trying to force down another urge to freak out. "You aren't gonna like, kill me or eat me or anything for trespassing, right? Cause I totes didn't know anyone lived here and I'm really not all that tasty I promise-"

"Do you always talk this much?" It asked, drawing a bit of ire out of his numbing fear.

"Well sorry for not wanting these to be my last few moments before I'm eaten."

"I'm not gonna eat you," It replied in exasperation. "Don't you think I would have just killed you and your horse last night if I were interested in that?"

Alfred inhaled sharply, eyes narrowed. "What'd you do to Uni?"

"Nothing, sheesh, I just told you," It shook its head, looking almost exasperated with him despite its barely human features. "Are you hungry yet? Because I think I can still get the kitchens to make you something you can eat, even though it's been awhile since people've come by…"

"I'm good, thanks," Alfred declined as his stomach reminded him it was morning and he needed to eat. He still had enough in his saddlebag for a snack before he left-

"Wait, am I allowed to leave?"

"Huh?" The beast blinked, tilting its head at him. "Oh, yeah, sure, just don't forget your things."

That was… surprisingly anticlimactic, all things considered. Alfred wasn't sure if it was telling the truth or not, but when it didn't move to stop him as he gathered up his cloak and backpack and slipped into his shoes, he felt marginally confident enough to follow the creature as it made its way down the hall. Curiosity starting to win out, he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"So… how'd you end up living here?"

It glanced back to him, one ear twitching back before it eventually deigned to answer. "It's my home. Has been for… honestly, I can't remember how long at this point."

"What happened to the humans who lived here before, then?" He asked, flinching back when he was giving a look for that. "I mean, they had to be the ones who built it and stuff, right?"

"The king pissed off a witch and got his family and the castle cursed. Ended up killing her in revenge before she could escape, but it didn't break the curse, just backlashed and killed him and left the rest of his family to bear the brunt of it. Everyone who could eventually left and never came back."

"Huh, never heard anything about that from the locals," Alfred pondered. "So you just moved in after that since no one else wanted to live here?"

"...something like that," It replied, turning to head down the stairs and towards a familiar section of hallway. "Why did you come here?"

"Well, it was getting late, and I didn't want to sleep out in the rain, and I saw this place and figured hey, shelter for the night, and maybe even something valuable to sell in town so I can get some supplies…" He trailed off, realizing the unofficial owner might not like the idea of him taking what belong to it, but it only chuffed out a laugh.

"Anything valuable was taken by the servants a long time ago; maybe the books'll be worth something, I dunno, I haven't been outside the castle in a while for obvious reasons."

"Oh," Alfred muttered, figuring it was just his luck and that even if he bothered he'd probably only find stuff that'd interest his brothers, not any would-be buyers. "Right then."

The conversation died away after that, leaving them to walk in silence until they reached the front door. It pushed it open with ease, allowing him to go outside but not following.

"Uh, thanks for not being mad with me, I guess…" He thanked, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's fine, I've had worse company," It waved him off, glancing over to the stables. "You should probably get going, since I don't know how close the nearest town is to here."

"Right, I'm going, I'm going, sheesh," Alfred raised his hands, turning to go before pausing and glancing back on an impulse. "...wait, do you have a name?"

It stared at him blankly, not answering for a long moment. He was just starting to feel awkward before it finally replied.

"Abigail."

It shut the door, leaving Alfred staring after for a long while before realizing what he was doing and slapping himself out of it. "Right, need to get going…"

Glad to see nothing of his stuff had been pilfered and that Uni was perfectly fine, if somewhat upset with the smell of the be-  _Abigail_  on his clothes, he saddled the mare and and clambered on, glancing back once as he made his way down the path to the gate and wondering idly whether the beas-  _Abigail_  would be alright on its - her? - own.

He shook the thought away, focused on getting through the gate and back on the trail. It - she'd managed for this long, so who was he to worry?

(...maybe it was the fact that the castle, as big as it was, felt so  _empty_  inside.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, a while back I decided I wanted to give an Beauty and the Beast AU a try sometime, only I wanted to avoid all the squick with Stockholm Syndrome or 'true love fixes everything' or whatever, and surprisingly came up with this thing which makes me a bit sad. I might continue it if there's interest, but that won't be until next month so for now just enjoy this tidbit.


	54. Crossdressing Fun (Peach)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because a birthday party just isn't fun unless you occasionally switch things around a bit!
> 
> 1pAme1pNyoAme
> 
> Posted July 4 2015

"Gah, I think the hem's a bit tight-"

"It'll be fine, just walk around a bit and it should start to loosen up. Besides, tight isn't too bad a thing when you don't have the hips I do to hold it up."

"If you're sure…"

Eleanor laughed, slapping her counterpart's shoulder. "C'mon, you look great, and the guests are gonna be here soon. Now let's get downstairs and get the food out for everyone, alright?"

Alfred shook his head and smiled. "Lead the way then."

She grabbed his hand and started pulling him along without resistance, he for the most part content to let her enthusiasm start to work him up as well. She'd been up and bouncing over their birthday party since four that morning, throwing together the last pieces of their outfits and making sure the cakes they'd made last night had set properly while he'd clung to sleep until dawn.

By the time they reached the kitchen Alfred had the energy he needed to start a small fight, grabbing one of the bags of patriotic glitter and splitting it open before throwing it at her back, sending the contents everywhere and drawing a surprised "What the fuck?" from her before she caught up to the situation and turned on him with a vicious grin.

"So that's how you wanna play, huh?" She challenged.

He just match her grin. "Bring it."

The arrival of the Canadians soon after drew them out of it, Alfred scrambling for the door while Eleanor tried to at least wipe off the table so snacks could be put down. Wiping a hand through his hair to dislodge some of the confetti, he opened it and beamed, ignoring the two sets of raised eyebrows at his current state. "We've got snacks ready already, but look out for glitter and shit on the floor unless you wanna take a dive."

"I like your outfit," Emily complimented as she stepped in, Matthew following after and shaking his head while muttering about insane neighbors. "You pull off a skirt pretty well."

Alfred beamed. "Ellie made them - she's wearing the matching suit."

"The fabric was on sale, what else was I supposed to do, go for boring clothes?" Said woman asked from the kitchen doorway, large bag of chips under her arm. "How could I not go for sexy half-naked patriots and presidents on our birthday clothes?"

"It's definitely you," Matthew replied neutrally.

"That reminds me, Em, did you get the stuff I sent you yet?" Eleanor turned to the female Canadian. "I was hoping it'd get up to you in time, but I didn't see you using it at your party."

"I got it, thanks," Emily grinned widely. "It's absolutely lovely, but I want to save it for a special occasion. That and I didn't have time to finish the dress before the party."

"Maybe you can wear it for Thanksgiving and we can be like twinsies," The American woman decided, drawing a choked laugh from Alfred and a horrified look from Matthew.

"You're telling me she has that in the house?" He asked weakly.

"Naw, I got her something else," Eleanor shook her head. "Though this is awesome, it's pretty American, and I figured she'd want something more to her tastes."

He glanced from Alfred, who was biting his knuckle due to knowing exactly what said gift was, to the now flushed Emily, sighing deeply. "Do I want to know?"

"You'll find out in October," She promised, laughing softly when he just groaned in pain.

The doorbell rang, causing all four to jump before laughing it off. "You getting the door this time?" Alfred asked.

"As long as you get the rest of the food where it needs to be."

"Righto," He saluted, turning to the Canadians. "You guys mind helping me finish up prep?"

"Alright."

~0~0~

By the time the party was in full swing, Alfred had relaxed considerably after hearing more than one compliment about Ellie's work, figuring her crazy mix-up for this year was definitely paying off more than that Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart cake duo would have been (though they were so being used next year for sure!) In fact, he was pleased enough that he barely noticed Ivan sneaking up until a large hand was slapped down onto his shoulder.

"I see you've decided to change things up a bit this year," The Russian man noted.

"Ellie's idea, decided it couldn't hurt. People don't seem to mind so far."

"I suppose they wouldn't, would they?" He frowned thoughtfully, looking down Alfred and back up. "Though I think your other half could have loosen it a bit before sending you out here to show off."

Alfred didn't have any time to decide if that was an insult or just noticing Alfred's still minor discomfort with the skirt hem before Ivan was sent reeling forward to fall on his face, Eleanor stepping up from behind with a snarl and a baseball bat.

"You got issues with my designs, Ruskie?" She asked, kicking the groaning body before turning to Alfred. "Let's go open presents! I think Vicki sent another cursed pendant and I wanna see if I can get Jul to put it on this time."

"Why do you always try to shoved cursed shit off on our friends?" He asked, more amused than anything.

"Because it'd just ruin the party if all my hair fell out in the middle of it, and besides, it's not like Artie doesn't fix it later, so it's good for a few laughs." Eleanor gave him an innocent smile.

"Or it could be because they keep stealing the last slice of cake."

"I called dibs on my birthday, and they ignored it!"

Alfred laughed, accepting the gifts shoved into his arms and figuring that overall this was shaping up to be a pretty awesome birthday.

(Watching Julchen turn bright purple had been a hit, hitting vimeo and youtube seconds after she'd finished the last bar of a very crude and swear-laden German sonnet.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this I've finally reached my goal of writing every single variant of AmeCan, Americacest, and Canadacest, whoo! Also Happy Fourth of July everyone, I'm feeling pretty good today, how about you?


	55. Ice Cream Sunday (Coconut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie really isn't all that fond of Florida, especially in midsummer.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 5 2015

Marie was melting on the couch, arms and legs splayed as she lay in the middle of several strategically placed fans, desperately trying to stave off the heat still seeping in from outside despite all attempts otherwise. Stripped down to only a tanktop and panties, the Canadian was cursing out her girlfriend for wanting to come down to Florida in the middle of the freaking summer just because she hadn't been to Disney World in ages and  _oh my gosh Marie you have to visit at least once the place is literally the best thing ever!_

Damn her and her cute perky grin and ass. Marie groaned, feeling her arm stick to the fabric briefly as she lifted it to wipe some of the sweat from her face. Next year they were going to Alaska where it was sanely cool.

As if summoned by her dark thoughts, Eleanor bounded into the room without a care in the world, dressed up in an outfit the Canadian would definitely appreciate more if she wasn't so occupied. "Oh man, you should have come with me to the store today, because this one family came through with their dog and it was literally the cutest thing ever and I got to pet it and say hi and it was really awesome!"

Marie turned her head just enough to give her grilfriend a look, which as always was completely ignored as the American went on. "You know, when we get back to Toronto we should so get a pet, maybe like a big fluffy one we can cuddle in the winter."

"We are not getting a pet," Marie instantly shot down, more out of her current misery than genuine distaste for the idea.

"Oh," Eleanor finally drew out of her little bubble of bliss to look at her girlfriend, lips curving down. "You don't look so hot."

"If that's supposed to be a pun, I'm gonna smack you," The Canadian replied heatlessly.

"If you do that then I won't give you your present," Eleanor shot back, sticking her tongue out before glancing down to go through the small refrigerated bag she'd brought in with her.

Marie frowned. "My birthday's next month last I checked."

"Well duh, I know that, silly. I got you something else," The blonde replied, grinning in triumph as she pulled the small ice cream carton out. "I saw this on the shelf and knew you'd want it while your cousin's not around to steal it."

The Canadian paused, eyes glistening just a bit at the personal sized carton of Moose Tracks ice cream. "You are the best girlfriend."

"I know, right?" Eleanor laughed, handing it over along with a plastic spoon and waiting for her to sit up before settling onto the couch beside her with a small carton of Mint Chocolate Chip. "Besides, today's the perfect ice cream day, but with all the ice cream places packed I figured it'd be nicer to just have it here."

"Mmmm," Marie mumbled around a large bite, swallowing before laughing. "Probably your best idea yet since we got here."

"Hey, I've been trying to keep your heat phobia in mind, jerk," She teased, nudging the other's leg with her own. "Why do you think I didn't drag you out today?"

"Because you forgot?" The Canadian teased back, raising an eyebrow. "And don't act like you didn't wimp out the second you went skiing for the first time. I distinctly remember you swearing and claiming global warming would end the threat of icy cruelty once and for all."

"Well, how about shut up," Eleanor mumbled around her spoon, drawing a cheerful laugh from Marie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The joke is that the blog / story is called 'The AmeCan Ice Creamery' and this is a story about ice cream. Yes, I am absolutely hilarious, I know. But yeah, lesbians and ice cream and summer heat, excellent mesh right here.


	56. Costume Design (Black Walnut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When one needs the best outfits, one goes to the best.
> 
> 2pAme2pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted July 7 2015

"Hold still, would you?"

"Maybe if you stopped jabbing me with fucking needles I wouldn't be moving!"

Tommy sighed, leaning back slightly to give Marie an unimpressed look while carefully holding the fabric in place at her side. "I told you I'd have to readjust the waist after you got into it so that it'd actually fit you instead of just drape."

"And that involves jabbing holes into me?" The Canadian grumbled, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to not flinch the next time she felt the light tickle of the needle passing by her side.

"Hey, there's only one good way to make sure that everything still looks right after I sew up the extra fabric, and since I don't exactly have mannequins lying around to use instead, you get to play dummy for the dress you specifically commissioned me for."

Marie grumbled but didn't reply, allowing her friend to continue his work in silence for another moment.

"...why'd you want a dress costume, anyways?" He asked finally. "Like, I recognize the character, but I figured she wasn't the type you'd dress up as, but then again I didn't have you pegged much for the con scene so…"

"Alfred got me into the game, alright?" She sighed, looking away while her face was red. "And I just happen to like the character, so I figured since he was dragging me along I'd take the chance to humiliate him."

Tommy laughed. "That is the Canadian I know. So you're gonna try and win the costume contest there? What's he going as?"

"I think the main guy from the same game," She replied after a minute's thought. "I saw a piece of the armor he was putting together for a second - same color scheme and stuff."

"That's a shocker." Tommy pressed his lips together as he focused, carefully sliding the needle out again before knotting it around an earlier thread and tying it off. "There, that should do it - move around for me a bit, lemme know if it's too tight or loose."

Marie stepped back, pressing fingers to the new hem before twisting side to side to look. "Feels okay so far…"

"Walk, missy, I mean it."

With a laugh she obliged, pacing his room twice and spinning a full circle before he looked satisfied. "Nothing?"

"Feels fine," She agreed, looking herself over with a satisfied smile. "Looks great, too."

"I am aiming for a career, so I'd like to think I'm good at this sorta thing," Tommy replied dryly, rolling his shoulders stretching his back a bit as he got up from where he'd been kneeling on the ground. "Take a picture of his face for me when you win, alright?"

Marie turned to him. "Honestly, I was thinking of inviting you along."

He gaped slightly. "You what? But aren't you-"

"He's an annoying friend, not a date, I'm pretty sure I've told you this before. Besides, don't you want to be there in person to see your own dress wow everyone?"

"I don't think a small con exactly gets me much prestige," Tommy replied once he rebalanced himself.

"Well, no," She agreed after a bit. "But seeing Alfred's face in person is so much better than just getting a picture later, am I right?"

He pretended to think about this for a minute. "You have a point there."

"Of course I do. How do I get out of this, by the way?"

Tommy failed to hide a grin. "Who says you do?"

Her glare failed to pierce his laugh at her momentary expression of horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah IDEK, I just thought of this with the prompt 'costume design' and I thought that what the hey I'll just roll with it. Turned out halfway cute at least!


	57. Gym Workout (Cotton Candy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eye candy makes any workout better, if somewhat less effective.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pCan, human AU
> 
> Posted July 9 2015

There was a time where Eleanor hated the gym. Sure, she went three times a week with her sister to keep in shape since they didn't have the time for sports anymore, but that still didn't make dealing with the humid, carbon dioxide heavy air any better, nor did it keep the guys who assumed they were there for boy shopping instead of actually working out away.

At least they all tended to leave right after she bench pressed a higher weight than they could.

As things happened, right as they were starting to consider just taking one of the cardio classes that had recently moved to a time slot more suited to their hours, a couple of new faces joined the usual Wednesday evening crowd on the main floor.

Eleanor promptly dubbed the taller one Mr. Tasty, much to the amused exasperation of her sister.

She couldn't help it, though - he was built like a freaking lumberjack, nicely muscled all around without going overboard, and that ass, oh man oh man oh man. And, as she was pleased to note, he and his buddy weren't the type of guys to waste everyone's time through trying to chat up the women there. Of course, this left the awkward bind of actually having to go talk to him herself without seeming creepy or otherwise basically being no better than the guys who hit on her and her sister, but that could be solved eventually. Maybe. Possibly.

Eleanor let her head hang, sighing as she tried to focus on her own exercise instead of risking another glance around to where Mr. Tasty and friend were working out. Emily, having just finished a set on a nearby machine, laughed at her sister's expression.

"You've got drool on your chin again," She pointed out, drawing an ired frown from Eleanor.

"Do not," She shot back, desperately checking to make sure she hadn't because that would be really really awkward.

"You might as well," Emily continued blithely, waving a hand. "It's almost hilarious how hard you've fallen for the guy when you haven't even spoken to him."

"Shut up," The shorter haired sibling muttered, finally starting in on her next set. "I just - happen to like - the way he looks - okay?"

"If you say so," Her sister conceded doubtfully, returning to her machine to start her next set while Eleanor finished up her current one and leaned back into the seat, closing her eyes and breathing as heavily as she dared when most of the air was other people's sweat and exhalations.

"Hey, you done with this machine yet?"

Her eyes snapped open, leaving her to realize that Mr. Tasty had apparently deigned to come over here and talk to her and holy shit what do now wait didn't he ask-

"Oh, oh right, sorry!" Eleanor stumbled over her words, flushing heavily as she shoved herself out of the seat like it was on fire. "Just finished up actually, didn't realize you were waiting to use it-"

In her haste to get out of the way so as to hopefully stop embarrassing herself that much sooner, she completely forgot she had left her water bottle right by her feet, meaning that when she stepped backwards she knocked it over, leaving her to slip after accidentally stepping onto it and having it launch from under her.

Thankfully for her skull and the majority of her pride, Mr. Tasty caught her before she could either hit the next machine or the floor, though it was still hard to look him in the eyes as she was helped back up to her feet. "Hey, I'm not in that huge a rush, no need to panic."

"...Sorry," She mumbled, sending a glare over to where her sister was muffling her laughter behind a hand.

"It's fine," He gave her a small grin, which somehow managed to make him even better looking, and let her go, stepping back to give her space. "Just be more careful next time."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Eleanor replied, more than ready to hit the lockers early now that her mortification at her own actions had caught up to her.

Mr. Tasty shook his head, getting ready to sit down before his friend lightly jabbed him in the side. SIghing, he turned back to Eleanor, looking like he'd really rather not be doing this. "After we're done, would you like to go and catch a movie or something?"

Only realizing after she'd been staring at him and then his far too amused friend that she was gaping, she paused and swallowed before forcing out a small, "Sure!"

When both his friend and her sister started muffling more laughter behind coughs, she and Mr. Tasty exchanged the weary looks of people with assholes for friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what's happening to my characters lately, they're all being such asses to each other. Ah well, it's hilarious to me so I guess it'll keep happening because at least its the kind of assholery that only comes from long term friendships.


	58. Makeup Magic (Strawberry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's impressive stuff one can do with makeup and a bit of planning.
> 
> 2pCan2pNyoCan, vamp!Alex
> 
> Posted July 11 2015

 

"Trust me," She'd told him, and he'd ultimately caved, because he  _did_  trust her, even if she could be a pain sometimes. That was why they were still roommates after all, even though he was, well…

To be fair, Alex had only gone back to university because Tommy had, their dusty cash being put to use just seeing what was new, but of course they'd ended up in different dorms and he'd had the frustration of living with a human and hoping she didn't find out until he'd had a chance to fix things.

How Marie had put things together so fast still baffled him, but she'd only used it so far as a way to get him to model for her life art drawings, so overall it could have been worse, even with Tommy and his roommate both snickering over the whole thing. Jerks, all of them. He should have just stayed back at the coven-

No, on second thought, this wasn't all that bad.

Still, they'd had a few months to get comfortable with each other, which was probably what gave her the confidence to up and ask if she could do something with him. When he'd asked for details, all he'd gotten was cryptic remark and a request to trust her, and really, he'd had no reason to refuse, so…

(No, he wasn't a pushover, shut up! He just didn't feel the need to cause unnecessary drama when it could be avoided and save himself the headache.

...shut up, Tommy, I can still hear you laughing from here.)

The next evening, soon after he'd woken up, she'd dragged him from his book and seated him in one of the chairs in the kitchen, where her entire collection of makeup and sealers was already waiting, along with tissues and other things he couldn't think of a reason for off the top of his head.

"What's all this for?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at his roommate as she grabbed one of the foundation containers.

"Just something I remembered you mentioning a while back," Marie replied idly, starting to apply it to his face.

Alex raised an eyebrow, trying to recall what she was talking about while she continued her work, only to blink when it finally struck him. "Wait, this is-"

"I told you to trust me, alright?" She shooshed him, giving him a look before getting back to her work.

With a sigh he settled back into the chair and allowed her to work, deciding that arguing over this wasn't really worth it, and that maybe he wanted to see just what was coming out of this even though he'd never actually admit to it. He closed his eyes when she told him to, fingers tapping against his leg while he waited for her to finish.

"Hey, can you open your eyes for me?"

Alex blinked, glancing to the clock to see how much time had passed, only to be interrupted by her holding up some colored contacts pointedly. "Uh…"

"They're safe, I just figured they'd help complete the look. Hold still."

Alex blinked after she carefully put them in, waiting for the odd feeling to pass while she walked out of the room for a minute. HIs eyebrows raised again when she returned with a wig and a hand mirror, setting the latter down before carefully putting the wig over his hair and adjusting it to her satisfaction.

"Hope to God this works…" She muttered under her breath, grabbing the mirror and holding it up so he could see his reflection-

His reflection?

Alex blinked, actually seeing something in the mirror for the first time in ages, and at some point he must have started gaping because she was grinning again. "So, did I do awesome or what?"

"I…" Alex couldn't speak at all, still trying to actually convince himself this was real.

"Hey, don't start crying now, I still have to seal it in place," Marie teased, smiling more softly now as she moved around to examine it for herself.

"Fuck you," The vampire muttered heatlessly, for once extremely glad Tommy had convinced him to go through with all this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just read my notes and this is supposed to be the other way around, but honestly who cares it's done and I can post this and move on. Enjoy, I suppose? Yes it's based on that old comic thingy on tumblr.


	59. Wrong Room? (Butter Pecan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie, in her quest to find a place to rest, ends up making an unusual friend...
> 
> 1pAme2pNyoCan, human AU
> 
> Posted July 13 2015

Marie sighed, glancing around again for any sort of sign she'd been followed before allowing herself to collapse into one of the way-too-fancy chairs that seemed to be everywhere. Then again, what else could you expect from a fancy old mansion whose current owner was one of those life of the party types and apparently held one at least twice a month?

But really, she'd only come because she'd promised Abigail she'd take a break after midterms to relax, and it wasn't that she hadn't had fun chatting with some of the others who'd shown up as well and indulging in the expensive food put out on the tables, it was just… exhaustion. She couldn't go all night socializing without at least a small break, and with all the closer rooms taken up by opportunistic couples, she'd had to wander a bit further to find a place to be on her own to recharge.

Closing her eyes and leaning back, she allowed herself to relax, drinking in the quiet that was barely even permeated by the sounds of the party on the other side of the place. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd probably have to drive Abigail home after she got drunk on whatever they were serving here, Marie would have written the night off already and gone back to her apartment to sleep, but as it was she could probably cause a few winks here…

"Been awhile since a pretty young woman's slept in my room."

Marie's eyes snapped open, having not heard anyone walk in at all - had she actually fallen asleep in here and gotten caught by someone? That was distinctly embarrassing, and Abigail wouldn't drop it for months, especially since the guy was actually sorta cute-

No, don't focus on that right now, there are more important issues at hand.

"Sorry, didn't realize this actually belonged to anyone," She apologized, glancing around to see it actually looked like someone's room as opposed to the guest room she'd thought it was when she'd stumbled in.

"It's fine, just didn't expect to see someone in here. Usually Eleanor lets people know this is my room when she invites folks over."

"Is that her name?" Marie recalled the short blonde who'd been the center of attention back at the party, figuring that's who he meant. The two did look fairly similar, all things told. "I didn't exactly let anyone know I was coming this way, and since all the other rooms are occupied…"

He grinned and shrugged. 'Like I said, it's fine. What brings you by, anyways?"

"To the mansion itself or your room specifically?"

He shrugged. "Both, I guess."

"My friend brought me to the place, said I needed to relax after midterms and stuff. I'm not a socialite like her, though, so I figured I'd take a break while waiting for her to party herself out so I can drag her drunk ass home."

"Huh, that's nice of you," He complemented.

"I guess," Marie shrugged, yawning a bit. "Sorry, I never got your name, actually."

"Alfred. You?"

"Marie. Surprised you aren't out there partying with the others."

Alfred shrugged back, still smiling. "Eh, haven't been into parties for a while. When I first got into college, sure, but now I'm fine with just staying out of them."

"College?" She asked, thinking about whether she'd seen him around campus or not. "Which one?"

"Oh no, I've dropped out," He laughed it off, though his expression for a second said he wasn't much pleased with the decision. "Had other things happen and, well, yeah."

"That's rough," Marie sympathized. "Maybe you'll be able to go back later?"

"Maybe." Alfred shrugged again, huffing in amusement when she yawned again. "Seriously, just take a nap on my bed if you need to, I'm not using it right now, and I can't imagine the chair's all that comfy."

"But-" She bit her lip, not wanting to impose, but he waved it off.

"Seriously, I'm not tired right now, and you look like you could use it. I'll wake you up if anyone shows, alright?"

"...Alright," She conceded, pushing herself up and making her way over to the bed, smiling a bit at how comfy it was before allowing herself to flop back. She was rather tired after all, and he did promise…

An indeterminate amount of time later found her snapping awake, momentarily confused as to where she was until she realized there was light now streaming in from the door leading out to the hall, Abigail and the short blonde from before - right, the owner's kid - both looking relieved to see her there.

"Seriously, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Abigail huffed, making her way over to the bed and prodding Marie's cheek, drawing a grimace that was interrupted with a yawn. "Why were you in here?"

"Other rooms were full," She explained as she pushed herself up to a sitting position, smoothing down her hair a bit in case it looked too ridiculous. "And I was planning on waiting for you, but apparently getting woken up at four in the morning fucks with my internal clock."

"I can't even believe you'd want to sleep in here," Eleanor shook her head, coming over almost daintily and waiting for the Canadian to get up. "This room is like, completely haunted."

"Haunted?" Marie raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"...well, not like an evil haunting or anything, but still," The blonde conceded. "Like, my great great uncle apparently got killed in here protecting his older brother from an assassin or something, and people have sworn up and down that he's still in here and shows up occasionally."

Abigail, on seeing her friend's expression, hastened to explain further. "I didn't think to bring it up since you were only gonna be here the one time, cause I know you don't buy into that sort of thing, but either way we should probably get you home instead of letting you nap in some old room, right?"

"...yeah, let's go." Marie shook her head, pushing herself up to her feet and following the other two out, risking one last glance back as the door shut behind her. It looked a lot older now than it had earlier, like everything had been worn down by time, and she couldn't help but wonder…

...ah well, she'd probably never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of ghostly!Alfred, because everyone should have at least one ghost fic for their ship under their belt. Why, I don't know, but it's a thing and I've done it now so there. Go me?


	60. Blind Dates (Rainbow Sherbet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whole to meaning to 'blind dates' am I right?
> 
> 2pNyoAme1pCan
> 
> Posted July 14 2015

"Stupid job - stupid boss - stupid fucking life -" Abigail growled under her breath as she stalked down the street, intent on getting to work so she could chew out her boss for being such a fucking moron.

When she'd first taken the restaurant's job opening a few months back, she'd requested very specifically not to be put on waitress duty because she simply was not a people person, and her boss had agreed once they'd spoken face to face for a bit. But now, because two of the waiters had had to quit at the same time, everyone was scrambling to pick up the slack and, lo and behold, she'd woken up that morning to find out through a text that she was on waitress duty until replacements could be found.

Abigail worked in the kitchens for a good reason - she had a hard time keeping her opinions to herself, and though that was fine when you were a chef, when you were dealing with customers, you had to be nothing but polite and helpful even when the other was a piece of shit you wanted to kick in the ass. And she' was going to have to spend all day just keeping a smile on her face.

Fuck. Her. Life.

Lost in her frustration, she failed to catch the people who hadn't moved out of her way like the others until she'd literally tripped over them, hitting the ground with a hissed swear as she returned to the present. Pushing herself up and turning to give the lashing of a lifetime to the person who'd tripped her, she bit back the first words the second she saw the white and red cane of the guy just pushing himself to his feet.

Angry and blunt she might be, but she wasn't scummy enough to blame a blind guy for running into her.

So instead she said, once her voice was in check, "Sorry about that - wasn't payin' attention to where I was going. You okay?"

"I'm fine," He replied, sending a smile in her vague direction as he gripped the handle of his cane. "What about you?"

"Eh?" She blinked. "I'm okay, I guess."

"That's good," He was almost facing her now. "Hey, were you-"

"Shit, I'm gonna be late for work," Abigail swore suddenly, the reminder of why she'd been pissed off in the first place making her grit her teeth as she turned back the way she'd been going initially. "Sorry again, guy!"

With that she took off at a sprint, hoping to make the last block in time so that she still had the few minutes she needed to speak to her boss alone, because she wasn't getting into that uniform until he knew her exact feelings on the subject dammit all!

~0~0~

By the time the lunch crowd was tapering off, Abigail knew part of her soul had withered away from forcing her smile to stay in place all morning, and keeping the customers from realizing she was set to strangle them was becoming a harder task. She prayed that once these last few were gone she'd be allowed to go on break and hopefully have time to eat and vent her frustrations in the backroom before returning to this again for the afternoon shift.

"One table left, Abby," Alex told her as she brought in the dishes from the last group in her section of the floor. "And they don't look like the trouble making type."

"Thanks, Alex," She sighed, setting them down and rubbing at her neck with a grimace. "Boss come out of his office yet?"

"Nah, I think he's waiting for you to head home first," He remarked with a grin. "Heard he had Em bring something up earlier so he didn't have to go out for lunch."

"Surprised he didn't sneak out the back," She snorted, shaking her head before pushing herself off the counter she'd been leaning on. "Whatever, lemme just get this over with."

"Good luck," He remarked, waving her off as she stepped back into the main room, repeatedly telling herself that she could manage this as she approached and tossing up a smile right as she got there.

"Hey, I'm Abby, and I'm your waitress for today," She told the two with a cheeriness she really wasn't feeling at this point. "You guys have your orders yet?"

"Nah, still looking," The one of the left replied, glancing up briefly. "Sorta slow when you have to read all the options out."

"Oh?" She blinked, glancing to the other guy blankly before realizing he was the same blind guy she'd accidentally run into earlier. "Oh."

"You sound familiar," He remarked, tapping his finger twice against the table before nodding and smiling. "You're the one I ran into earlier, right?"

"Uh," She paused, recalling that it'd been the other way around. "That's me."

"You didn't tell me about that," The other guy - his brother, maybe? - replied, glancing between the two with a small frown.

"It was an accident, and she apologized. Not really much to say about that, is there?"

"I can come back in a few minutes if you still need time to decide," Abigail inserted, hoping she wasn't going to have to deal with a fight right now.

"It's fine, I've already made up my mind," The guy on the right told her firmly. "By the way, are you busy after this?"

"Maybe. Why?"

"Just wanted to chat is all, since you ran off this morning before I could say anything."

Abigail considered for a moment, contending with a sigh. "I'm on break for half an hour after this."

"Great," He replied with an easy grin, missing the eye roll from his brother. "I'm Matthew, by the way, and this guy's Alfred."

"Abigail." She replied shortly, relaxing just a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not in any way realistic but I only realized when I started writing this that I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the prompt so I just sorta wrote whatever came into my head. Ehch, it's something I guess.


	61. That Cop AU (Peanut Butter Swirl)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred and Alex end up teaching the kids a bit about being a cop.
> 
> 1pAme2pCan
> 
> Posted July 15 2015

"C'mon, Alex, it'll be fun!" Alfred told his partner, grinning as they leaned against their patrol car outside the school.

"You know I'm not good with kids," Alex grumbled, rubbing at his neck and wondering if he needed to shave again soon, considering the stubble coming in.

"I've seen you with the kid of that nice lady down the street who brings us pie sometimes - she absolutely adores you."

"That's one kid. I'm not exactly as great with a whole herd of them."

Alfred prodded his partner in the side with an elbow, taking a bite of a donut before continuing. "You'll be fine, alright? Just let me do most of the talking if you're worried you'll stutter or something."

Alex started to gape. "Is that my last-"

He didn't have time to say anything else as the elementary school kids ran up to them wide eyed, their teachers coming up behind them at a much slower pace. Shoving the last of the donut into his mouth and quickly swallowing, Alfred put on a bright grin as he greeted them all.

"Hey kids, you ready to learn a bit about the police today?"

The kids gave their vocal approval, right before diving into the questions that had obviously come from one too many comic books or cartoons.

"Do you chase down baddies in your car?" "Have you shot anyone?" "Can you turn on the sirens?" "Can we see your handcuffs?"

"Woah, slow down, one at a time, kids," Alfred replied cheerfully, holding up his hands and waiting for them to quiet down. "Right, first things first, we have chased down people in our car before, yes. Not very often, but sometimes people don't know they need to slow down so we have to catch them."

"Do you run them into walls?" The one who'd asked the first question spoke up.

"Nah, just to the side of the road usually. We don't wanna hurt them after all."

Alfred turned to the boy who'd asked the next one, putting on a more serious expression. "As for shooting people, no, we've never had to. A gun is very dangerous and should only be used in the most dangerous circumstances, which so far hasn't happened around here, and we hope it never does."

Now the cop was grinning again, proceeding to the third question. "As for the sirens, we'll see how good you all behave today, and if the teachers say it's alright we'll turn it on for a bit, alright?"

Alex, who had up until then been content to remain quiet and do his best not to seem too scary, chose to speak up then. "Which one of you asked about the handcuffs again?"

A girl in the back raised her hand, ducking down a bit when he flashed a fast, awkward smile.

"Right, I think I can show you how they work, if my partner's alright with a demonstration."

Alfred blinked, glancing to him before nodding. "Alright, I'm cool with that."

Alex grinned a bit more widely, pulling the handcuffs off his belt to show the kids. "You see the little hooks on the outside of the cuffs? When it slides inside the other part of the cuffs here, they lock into place, which is why they can't slide open again on accident."

Turning to Alfred, who obligingly turned and put his hands behind his back, he pressed his free hand gently against them to hold them in place. "When we have to put them on someone, we have them put their hands behind their back first. Do any of you know why?"

"Because they can't use their hands anymore?"

"Close," The Canadian agreed. "They still have some use of their hands, but because they can't see them it's harder for them to grab and use things, and they don't have as much mobility."

He clamped the cuffs shut around the wrists, tightening them just enough to keep Alfred's hand from sliding out. "You don't wanna put them on too loosely or too tightly - the first'll just let the guy slip out, while too tight will cut off the blood to their hands and possibly injure them. But if you do it right, then you have the guy safely contained so he can't do anything like steal your donuts anymore."

Alfred turned sharply, wide eyed and betrayed at Alex's sharp grin while the kids laughed hysterically at the comment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, the idea was too great to pass up and I loved it. Also I realized I lacked any sort of 1pAme2pCan aside from that werewolf fic and really I need more oneshots of this pair available as well.


	62. Onboard Entertainment (Mint Chocolate Chip)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes all you need to get through a long plane flight is a bit of good reading material.
> 
> 2pAme1pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 16 2015

"God, this flight is long," Tommy groaned, stretching his arms out as best he could in the cramped space around his seat. "Maybe we should've done the layover instead."

"You were the one who wanted to get it over with faster so there'd be some daylight left when we arrived," Elimy pointed out, looking up from her book briefly to glance over to her husband in exasperation. "It's a bit late to start having regrets or second thoughts, don't you think?"

"I know, I know, I just really want a chance to stretch my legs and I don't think the stewardesses will want me pacing up and down the corridor a few dozen times just to wake them up again."

"It's only another two hours, you can last that long, can't you?" She asked, nudging him with an elbow and smiling.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do that. By the way, whatcha reading there?"

"Just another of those dollar store romance novels Matthew bought a few weeks ago," Emily smiled, showing the cover with a smile. "He probably hasn't noticed yet, since he has so many of them."

"Man he loves those things, it's freaking hilarious," Tommy chuckled, leaning over a bit so he could read the page as she opened the book up again. "How far in are you?"

"Only a few pages, since I just started this one. Last one was pretty funny, and this one seems like it'll be good from what I've read so far. I can start over if you'd like."

"Please, I need something to distract me."

She grinned, flipping back to the front and waiting for him to rest his head against her shoulder before starting to quietly read out loud, glad they didn't have to worry about a third person in their row as they burst into the occasional snickers at a ridiculous scene. Of course it only got worse when they ended up trying to made their best fake voices for the characters, at one point having to stop for almost ten minutes from crying too hard after Tommy managed a perfect falsetto for what was described as the largest and most muscled man yet to appear in the novel.

By the time the place was finally ready to begin its descent, they'd somehow managed to make it through most of the book, absolutely torn between putting it away and just trying to plow through the rest before they had to disembark. They eventually decided on the former, happy to finish up while the rest of the passengers pushed and shoved past each other to get their bags and get out as fast as possible.

(Though Tommy still ended up groaning over his poor abused legs once they finally did get off, it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. Books were an excellent distraction in certain circumstances.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think my drabbles are getting smaller because I'm trying to grind these out fast and not all these ideas are exactly prone to longer pieces, which can be frustrating to someone who expects at least a thousand words in an update, more if its a chapter for a fic.


	63. Body Image Insecurity (Bubblegum)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone needs a bit of comfort, even those that put on brave faces everyday.
> 
> 1pNyoAme2pNyoAme
> 
> Posted July 17 2015

Abigail frowned as her hands ran down her side slowly, her reflection copying the movement and showing off just how much spare weight she had on her. A reminder that she'd been slacking off, even though she obviously couldn't exercise with a cast on her left arm. The paler skin was just another reminder of how she'd never be pretty enough no matter what she did-

"Abby, I'm back," Her girlfriend replied suddenly, causing her to freeze in place as the door opened and Ellie walked in. "I brought you some of those sweets you liked-"

The blonde paused, seeing her girlfriend staring at her from in front of the mirror, hands still at her sides. Neither of them said anything, forcing Abby to finally look away in embarrassment.

"...do you want to talk about it?"

"...not now."

When she glanced back Eleanor nodded in understanding, walking over and pulling her girlfriend into a tight hug, lips to her ear. "Do you want to cuddle for a bit?"

"...sure," Abby replied, not fighting when she was led tothe bed and pushed down gently, Ellie crawling in beside her and cozying up close, for now seeming to be content with just the contact.

After a few minutes of this, Abby started to relax. She hadn't really realized she'd needed this, but apparently Ellie had just known what to do anyways. How had she even landed a girl like her?

"Do you remember when we met?" Ellie asked after a bit longer, drawing Abby out of the doze she'd been falling into.

"How could I forget?" She replied softly. "You had three douchebags harassing you."

"I was terrified; I thought I was gonna be the next horror story we all hear growing up, and they weren't giving me a chance to get a good hit on them." There was a small laugh. "Next thing I know, this crazy chick in short shorts and a crop top comes barreling in and gets the first guy in the nuts before he can react, then punches the other two in the face until they run off crying."

"Girls have ta look out for each other," Abby shrugged.

"That's when I first fell in love with you, actually - I never had someone defend me like that aside from my brother before, and you didn't act like I couldn't have handled them afterwards."

"I've see ya around before, in hockey gear - I didn't think someone with that sorta training would have any sorta trouble," She flushed, surprised it'd been that long ago - nearly two years, in fact.

"Everyone has bad days. You made it better, though." Eleanor traced lazy fingers on her girlfriend's body. "When I got to know you better, I realized you were even more awesome than I first thought. You weren't just a pretty face and an awesome right hook - you also had a great sense of humor, knew the best ways to make hot chocolate and coffee, and stayed with me at the hospital after I broke my leg on the rink just cause you could."

Abby was rolled onto her back, Eleanor moving to hang over her with a soft smile as she continued. "You hate bugs in the apartment, you always complain about the cold, and you never back down from a fight, even when it lands you in the hospital and worries the shit out of your poor girlfriend in the progress."

"I apologized for that already, woman, what more do you want from me?"

The blond leaned close, pressing her lips to Abby's briefly before pulling away. "I love everything about you, from the way your toes curl when you stretch to the breathy laugh you only use around me. I love the muscles you have from your workouts, and I love the soft bits you get from my pancakes and waffles just as much. When I look at you, I see everything I ever could have hoped for, and even if you don't believe me now, I just want you to know that I'll still love you no matter what, alright?"

Abby would not cry, not right now. Her eyes were just wet cause of dust, that's all. "What if I kill someone, or steal a minivan for a cross country joyride?"

"As long as you didn't hide the body in our closet, I'd probably forgive you," Ellie teased, grinning as she lowered herself to rest comfortably on top of the brunet. "And you'd better bring me with you on that road trip if you go through with it."

"Done and done," Abby agreed, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and thanking God for her blinding good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was a bit worried I'd mess things up with this, but I think it came out well! Americest lesbians is a v important thing that v few people actually write is is v disappointing. Fandom pick up the slack.


	64. The Great Escape (Cherry)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew and Marie might've been taken prisoner, but they don't have to just take that lying down...
> 
> 1pCan2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 18 2015

"So you got caught up in this too, huh?" The woman across from him asked once he came to, head pounding and mouth dry as he tried to figure out where they were.

"I guess…" Matthew replied, trying to wet his mouth before asking, "What happened?"

"Someone tried to take control of the building, I think - from the looks of things, we're probably hostages."

"Hostages?" He straightened, just realizing they were both tied up at the moment. "Shit, my brother's going to freak out once he hears about this."

"You're telling me," She sighed, shifting her shoulders as she squirmed in the ropes. "I'm not interested in waiting for negotiations to get us out of here, and I think they forgot to check my purse, so my flip phone might still be in there."

"What if they catch us, though?" He pointed out, biting his lip. "I don't exactly wanna get shot."

"That's why we're gonna be careful," She replied dryly. "Besides, these guys don't seem like the brightest bulbs in the box considering they left us alone together without any sort of supervision."

"True," He conceded, watching as the ropes on her slowly started to slip and loosen as she squirmed some more. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Marie," She replied idly, grinning as the ropes slipped further. "You?"

"Matthew," He replied, glancing around to see if there was anything they could use as a makeshift weapon. "Do you think we can use those lamps as maces to defend ourselves?"

She looked to them as she awkwardly struggled with the ropes around her ankles. "I don't see why not, though we still gonna be careful."

He laughed suddenly, drawing her attention just as she finished getting out of it. "This has got to be the weirdest day I've ever had."

"You're telling me," She muttered, walking over to where her bag had been carelessly tossed and going through it with a frown. "Damn, maybe they did take it after all. Guess we're going with plan B - get the fuck outta here without dying."

"Are you sure we shouldn't just wait?" Matthew asked again.

"Are you sure you want to take the chance they won't just kill us instead of handing us over?"

Hs sighed, feeling like he was getting in way over his head but not seeing any other options. "Alright, do you have any idea where we are in this place?"

"Not yet, but there should be a stairwell or elevator somewhere around here, and that should have a map if nothing else," She walked back over to him, crouching down to help him out of his bindings. "Finding the escape ladder wouldn't be a bad idea either."

"Right…" He muttered, praying neither of them would end up shot during the course of this impromptu escape. He really wasn't cut out for this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little piece written way too late in the evening, but as far as I can tell it's not too bad so I'm just gonna toss it up before I forget about it. Also I think I've written something like this before... hrmm...


	65. To The Rescue! (Orange Sherbet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not quite the tale you were expecting, right? Or maybe you were, considering who we're talking about here.
> 
> 2pNyoAme2pCan, fantasy AU
> 
> Posted July 19 2015

Blink. Blink blink. "He's been what?"

"Er," The servant - Alfred, wasn't it? - hesitated, looking embarrassed at having to repeat himself. "Well, ya see, the Prince was out on a hunting trip with some of his men, and apparently the local dragon thought his armor looked shiny enough and, well…"

"...decided to bring him along too." Abigail, princess of the neighboring kingdom and technically not supposed to be here at the border, felt a grin start to stretch across her face. "Prince Alex, kidnapped by a freaking dragon. Oh my Lord."

To his credit, her own servant Emily was well used to her wild amusement with the ongoing antics of her sorta-of-not-really beau at this point, barely giving more than an exasperated sigh in stark difference with the growing flush on Alex's favorite servant boy. After a few minutes she calmed down, the corners of her eyes suspiciously wet as she kept grinning.

"How long ago was this, anyways?" She asked, tilting her head in thought. "Last time we saw each other was almost a month ago, and I think you would've tried to get a letter to me before now if it was right after we parted."

"It was about a week ago, your highness," Alfred replied dutifully. "The king's already sent out knights to look for the beast, but they haven't reported back yet as far as I know."

"Good," Abigail replied simply, drawing confused and concerned looks from the servants.

"...good?" Emily asked carefully.

"Well, yeah, obviously," The princess continued, looking at them as if they were crazy for missing such a simple thing to her mind. "Because if he knows I saved his ass when his own men couldn't, he'll be even more embarrassed that he would otherwise, and there's no way I'm gonna miss the chance to rub it in his face the entire way back."

"You're going to fight a  _dragon_?" Emily's voice went up an octave, looking like she was desperately hoping this was just a bad dream.

"Well, hopefully not," Abigail conceded. "Since I'm not exactly the best at swinging a sword. But if I have to, I will, even if it requires a bit of creative thinking."

"I can't let you go alone," Alfred blurted out, to his credit not backing down when she shot him a look. "If he found out you got hurt because I let you go on your own, he'd have my head, and I do sort of want to help him even without that over my head."

"I really don't think I'm cut out for an adventure like this," Emily replied after a bit. "But if their majesties found out I'd let you go off on this, they'd probably have my head as well, and I'd at least like to have your highness between us should it come down to that."

"Fine, fine, you two can come along as long, it'd get pretty boring on my own," Abigail waved a hand lazing, turning her horse around to head back to the palace so she could sneak out some armor and weapon. Pausing after a few steps, she looked back to the servant of the other kingdom with a raised eyebrow. "C'mon, just come with me, it'll be a lot easier than trying to find each other again, and probably safer for you too."

"Right! Of course," Alfred hesitated a second before following on the steed he'd borrowed for the trip, clutching tightly onto the reigns as he followed along quietly.

Abigail, cheerfully leading the way on her own mount, started pondering the best methods she remembered for dealing with flying reptiles. Wasn't there something about a plant they were allergic to somewhere?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the idea of a princess having to go on a great adventure to save her boyfriend the prince of the next door kingdom is absolutely hilarious and needs to be a thing, especially with Alfred and Emily there as the backup. (Also plot twist Eleanor is the dragon and she and Alex and total pals by the time Abigail and co arrive.)


	66. Deal with the Devil (Peanut Butter Swirl)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail makes a deal, and Alex quickly comes to regret not breaking it off.
> 
> 1pAme2pCan, demon AU
> 
> Posted July 21 2015

"Abigail," Alex grit out, eyes shut as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did I tell you about helping me?"

"Something about asking you first, I forgot," The woman replied with far too much cheer to be telling the truth. "And you always shoot down my ideas if I tell you even if they're good ones, so I figured it'd be better to just ask for forgiveness again."

"Forgiveness? You'll be lucky if they find your body after I fix this- this-"

"Amazing piece of summoning? Unrivaled bribery skills?" He could see the way she shifted on her feet as she gestured wildly to the result of her latest stunt. "C'mon, don't tell me I didn't get an awesome stud out of all this."

There was a reason his eyes were closed, and not just because of his friend's ongoing insistence that he needed a friend with benefits in order to relax him since he wasn't willing to do anything else to do so, and since he'd been born less choosy about the apparent sex of his partner than most other people, well-

He'd caught a glimpse of the incubus before he'd had the sense (and panic) to close his eyes, and already knew that wherever she'd dragged him- it from, it knew his tastes far,  _far_ too well to be anything other than a mild empathic or even telepathic charm. Or perhaps she just knew him well enough to bluff it anyways.

"Please tell me there's a way to reverse this," Alex sighed.

"Well, fulfilling the contract's the fastest way," she told him easily. "Which is, by the way, to have sex with him. Easy peasy, no fuss."

"And if I just turn the contract down, since I wasn't the one who made it in the first place?"

"...er…"

"Generally the price depends, ranging from a few years of lifespan to the contract breaker's soul. I tend to be more lenient, fortunately for her," The incubus replied simply, voice low and with just a hint of a drawl that sent a shiver through Alex before he forced it away.

On the one hand, making her pay for her own stupidity by losing a few years would almost be satisfying after all the other headaches for the stunts she'd pull, but on the other hand she was his friend and, no matter how pissed he was at her, he wasn't going to make her pay that much for something like this.

"Just… go. I'll yell at you later, got it?"

"Fine," Abigail groaned, grumbling under her breath as she brushed past on her way out the door, the sound of the front door slamming letting him know it was just the two of them left.

Lovely. First things first, make boundaries clear, hopefully without triggering the breakage clause that'd screw his friend over.

"Look, I didn't ask for this, and I'm not exactly interested right now, so you can lay off with your stupid compulsion or whatever it is."

A pause, and then, "Wait, seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," Alex groaned, wondering how long it'd take to drill in the idea.

"No sex. At all."

"Nope."

"Thank hell."

...wait, what? Alex opened his eyes more out of surprise than anything, seeing the demon looking genuinely more relieved and… still wearing the same form, only without the mild charms that induced lustful thoughts or whatever it was they did, leaving him almost remarkably human.

(The combination of blond hair and bright blue eyes behind a pair of glasses still pinged on his radar as 'cute' before he shut it down; no sense in getting complacent now of all times.)

"As friendly as your buddy there seems, she really doesn't read the fine text of her summonings at all. Probably a good thing for both of us, because I'm pretty sure any other guy you got wouldn't care so much if you just called it off and take the payment." The demon waved his hand, shrugging with a sheepish grin.

"And you're not?" Alex raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Nah, just because I'm a sex-eating demon doesn't mean I'm eager about it. At most I'd've taken, like, a year just so the honchos wouldn't be pissy with me for not bothering with a payment again."

"Right…" The Canadian wasn't sure whether it was telling the truth, but better to forge on anyways. "So, what happens if you don't break the contract or get it filled?"

"Technically? Nothing," The demon shrugged. "Since the contract was open ended about how much time I had to fulfill it, I could spend like a year here before anyone from down below thinks to check in on things."

"And… this is a good thing?" Alex queried cautiously. "I thought you guys had quotas or something to fill?"

"It's more of a pool of quotas," The demon explained. "Like, if someone's on sick leave or gets flayed or something, the others can pick up slack so that the proper amount of souls and whatnot still get processed each year. And trust me, some of the others practically make up a tenth of it on their own, so my numbers aren't gonna be missed too much."

"That sounds surprisingly benevolent."

"Well, there's still the minimum everyone has to do, or else you get disincorporated for a few years, but since I already filled that for the year, I'm basically home free." The demon grinned. "Still, I'm probably gonna have to stay here, since it'll look more suspicious if someone notices I'm not actually anywhere near the guy I'm technically supposed to be screwing out of their mind and soul."

Alex closed his eyes again and groaned, mentally weighing a mere year versus getting rid of his unwanted fel roommate early. "What do you want, then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The demon waved his arms. "Hell sucks ass, seriously. I dunno about you, but a year's vacation away from that place while getting to enjoy human food and basically fuck around sounds like the best sorta deal I could hope for, so as long as I get those I won't cause you any serious trouble."

The Canadian gave it a look.

"What, I'm still a demon, I  _am_  obligated to cause some havoc while I'm up here," The demon pointed out. "Nothing illegal, though, promise."

Alex sighed again, marveled that he was agreeing to this. "Fine you can stay, but if you eat too much you're getting a damn job to pay for your food. What's your name, anyways?"

"Money won't be an issue for me," The demon replied cryptically. "And since I doubt you can pronounce my full name, you can just call me Alfred."

What had he gotten himself roped into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I completely forgot what I meant by 'incubus AU' for a while and when I saw my notes I was so confused, but then I remembered what I meant and I was much happier than with the dubcon route this otherwise would have taken. Bahaha to be honest this does seem hilarious and worth continuing, but eh I'd rather wait on it since I've already done a 1p2pAmeCan fic.


	67. To Mars! (Peach)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleanor and Alfred have a chat before their mission to Mars sets off...
> 
> 1pAme1pNyoAme, astronaut AU
> 
> Posted July 22 2015

"It's still so hard to believe we're actually heading to Mars, ya know?"

Eleanor nodded, not looking away from her plants just yet. These were going to be their main food supply, so it was super important to make sure nothing had slipped past command and report in before they left orbit, no matter how unlikely that was. "Still feels like a dream, or maybe another simulation run."

"Exactly," Alfred agreed, waiting patiently for her to go down the hydroponics row. "Like, it's so weird that we can move from null grav to almost Earth grav just by going through the chutes, and we trained for it for the past few  _years_."

"At least we're finally going to get going," She sighed, frowning for a moment as she lifted a leaf up before deciding it was the lighting and not a bug or something else on the leaf. "I was worried the funding would be pulled before we got up here, and then we'd be sunk."

"Nah, I don't think they would've with this much publicity already invested." The engineer decided after a bit, gaze slipping over the tubes and dials feeding the nutrient rich water to their food before disappearing down below to be recycled. "The ship would have to blow up or one of us would have to die for things to get cancelled, and they triple checked the specs before they even started building this. Heck, I was part of the build team so that I knew where everything was going and why."

"Don't start tempting fate now; I called first step on Mars and I am not gonna wait another year for Mars to reach another good launch window, damnit!"

Alfred laughed. "Relax, you're getting your crowning moment, Ellie. Everything's been greenlighted, and all we really need is for these to be up and running properly so that we know we'll have something other than rations available."

She looked up from her inspection long enough to give him a flat look. "THat's not just an excuse to skive off work, is it?"

"Of course not!" He looked almost offended. "I helped haul all the equipment and stuff around to where it's getting strapped for ignition, and then figured since you were here looking through all this anyways I might as well go along to help fix what's needed."

"And you don't have the rest of the ship to inspect too?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "This isn't the only vital bit of the program, after all."

"Are you accusing me of being down here for some other reason?" He challenged back, the two entering a brief stare off before they broke and laughed.

"Seriously, though, you really need to stop being less blatantly obvious if you don't want command to realize something's up," Eleanor replied, shaking her head with a friendly smile.

"Obvious about what?" Alfred retorted cheerfully. "We've been working together with the rest of our team for ages; of course we're all good friends at this point."

"You do realize that'll sink the first time the others realize we aren't exactly sticking to our assigned quarters all the time, or else catch us inspecting the food supplies thoroughly."

"They're still our friends," He pointed out. "And as long as we do our jobs they won't mention anything to command if we ask them not to… probably."

"Such faith," She drawled. "You'd think you weren't sure or something."

"Just because it's not likely doesn't make it not a possibility."

She sighed. "Either way, it's probably better to bring it up discretely at some point once we're on our way rather than wait for them to discover it by accident and freak before we can explain."

"...wait a week, then?"

"Maybe two."

Alfred huffed, pulling her in for a warm hug. "We'll manage no matter what happens, yeah? Because we're just that awesome."

She grinned, returning it. "We'd better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I love space, Mars, astronauts, and Alfie, and so I of course must have at least a few drabbles of him and a fair lady off to explore the stars. But really, him and Ellie geeking over going to Mars is awesome and I need more n my life.


	68. Making It Work (French Vanilla)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If none of her current plans are working, maybe it's time to change tactics.
> 
> 1pNyoCan2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 23 2015

"Soooo…" Emily dragged out, leaning across the table with a wide smile. "What'd you say to coming over to my place? We haven't really had a chance to hang out in a while, and I've missed you a lot…"

"Yeah, work's been rough," Marie replied, looking up to her and back down to the table with a flush. "And I'd love to come, but I'm busy tonight."

"But you've always been busy when my schedule's open," Emily pouted. "Are you sure you can't take one night off?"

"I'm really sorry, but this is important," The other woman apologized. "Maybe next time?"

"...alright…" The first conceded, watching her friend put on an awkward smile as she got up.

"I really should, y'know, it's been fun but-"

"It's alright, I'll pay this time," Emily smiled, waiting until the other thanked her and all but darted out of the diner before sighing and letting her head come to rest on the table.

Seriously, what was even going on anymore? She'd been so sure Marie had liked her romantically, between the flushing and the smiles and everything else, and Emily was almost very certain she was interested in doing very intimate and probably naughty things to Marie as well, so why weren't they dating already? Had she misread the situation? Was Marie just not interested in being friends anymore and just too awkward to bring it up?

She let her eyes slide shut, wishing she knew what to do in this instance, because all her date ideas had completely fallen flat so far and she was getting the sinking feeling that nothing else she tried would work either.

She was jolted awake again some time later by the whap of something light against her head. GRoaning and rubbing the spot, she opened her eyes and pushed herself up to see Alfred had slid into the seat across from her, amused grin in place.

"We have to stop meeting like this, you know," Her brother told her cheerfully.

"How did you even know I was here?" She asked, rubbing at her cheek which she was sure was red from being pressed against the table for - she glanced to the clock - fifteen minutes.

"Friend works here; lemme know your date left ya on your own and that since you sorta fell asleep you probably needed to be picked up."

"...it wasn't a date," Emily sighed, eyes very firmly locked on the table.

Alfred sounded incredulous now. "What do you mean not a date? I thought you two were together now."

"We're just friends," She replied, adding softly. "At least I thought we were…"

He was frowning now, tilting her chin up so they were looking eye to eye. "Explain."

She found the words tumbling out of her lips before she could stop them, all her thoughts and fears about her relationship with the woman she'd been friends with for ages now and how she'd been so sure she'd been interested in a more romantic relationship but how she'd been acting so bizarre and distant lately and did it mean that she had it all wrong-?

Her brother, bless his soul, listened patiently, letting her ramble on until her throat and mouth were dry and her chest was a bit lighter from handing off her feelings for the moment. Pressing his lips together in thought, he tapped his fingers against the table, carefully thinking about his next words before responding.

"Does she know you're interested?"

Emily blinked, not expecting that. "What?"

"Does she know you specifically want to date her?"

"I… think so?"

He sighed. "DId you actually bring it up or just assume she'd figure it out?"

Now she was frowning, thinking back. "I thought I told her before... oh."

"Oh?"

"We… might've been a bit drunk at the time, so…"

"Yeah, that could complicate it." He shook his head, smiling. "At least it could be worse, but I think she does like you, from what I've seen and heard."

Emily sighed in relief, another weight lifted off her. "What's wrong, then?"

"Well, you remember that time I was dating her cousin, Alex?"

"Big lumberjack man?" She smiled, having found him very pleasing to the eye even if she preferred women herself.

"Yeah, him. From what I figured out, they're really shit at reading people, so they're always second guessing whether the other person actually likes them or is just playing nice or whatever."

Emily opened her mouth. Closed her mouth. Thought for a minute.

"...whelp."

"Whelp." Alfred grinned, leaning forward to prod her chest gently. "I'm not saying do what I did, even though it was an awesome way to ask someone out, but you're probably gonna have to be a bit more blunt with her if you want her to realize that you really want to give things a chance."

"I'll give it a try," She replied, figuring it was better than nothing. "Speaking of Alex, why did you two break up?"

Her brother very carefully shrugged nonchalantly, though the image was broken by the grin he was still wearing. "Apparently I snore like a lumberjack."

Emily laughed despite herself, because some things never changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure what this is to be honest, but it was entertaining to write and even if the ship's supposed to be 1p2pNyoCan it sorta ended up as a brother-sister piece. Really, what am I doing to myself with all these? ...I guess hoping people are interested in continuing them or writing a variant or whatever...


	69. Daycare Workers (Strawberry Cheesecake)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looking after a bunch of kids is really thirsty work, but the company is definitely worth it.
> 
> 2pNyoAme1pNyoCan
> 
> Posted July 24 2015

"Ugh, they're all finally down," Abigail sighed, rolling her shoulders and she and Emily - her co-worker for the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday shifts at the local daycare - made their way upstairs to grab themselves drinks. "Whoever thought it was a great idea to leave the chocolate out where the kids could climb to it really needs to take a boot up the ass."

"Language," The Canadian chastised more out of habit than anything, pulling one of the glasses out of a cupboard and a teabag from another one (she had long standing permission to use them so long as she didn't overindulge, which she was more than alright with complying with), pouring water and placing the bag into the cup before sticking it in the microwave. "And you know we get days like this even without the sugar - remember when Jason came in with a cold and got all of them sick?"

"I know, you don't need to remind me," Abigail chose to just stick to plain water, draining half of her own glass before continuing. "Just been a long week for me is all."

"You want to talk about it?"

The brunet made a face before conceding. "Tommy's got strep throat, so I've been trying to make sure he gets all his medicine and gets plenty of water and sleep, but it's not easy when eating hurts his throat."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Emily placed a hand to her lips, wide eyed. "Will he be okay?"

"It's already died down most of the way, but he's still gonna need another week to completely clear it outta his system, and then a few more days to make sure it's actually gone."

"Poor guy," The blonde sympathized, shaking her head. "You're a really good big sister, you know that? I don't think I'd be nearly as good with my cousins."

"Eh, I'm just used to helping out with taking care of him, it's nothing special. Besides, from what I've heard you do just fine with them even if you only see them a few times a year. You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten frustrated with him when he causes trouble."

"Well, he  _is_  seven," Emily pointed out, having retrieved her tea to allow it to start cooling to a more reasonable temperature while the tea seeped into it. "I'm pretty sure at that age they're supposed to cause havoc just for the h- fun of it."

"Probably," Abigail conceded after a moment's thought, turning back to the other with a grin. "At least it's not twins, though - remind me again what they pulled last time they came over to visit?"

The Canadian flushed heavily, recalling the incident in question. "...they dumped a bucket of pond water on me when dad asked them to wake me up."

Abigail cackled, still wildly entertained by the mental image that provided. "I still can't believe they got away with that - you'd think a bucket of water would be noticeable, especially with those two."

"You'd think," Emily muttered into her cup, pouting as she took a sip. "I still think Uncle Gil helped them, the jerk."

"Aw, there there," The brunet comforted with a grin, patting the other woman's shoulder. "You can tell Abby all about his traitorous schemes if you'd like."

The blonde rolled her eyes but was smiling again. "Maybe after today is over and I can use the right language for it."

"You mean French?"

Abigail laughed as the other woman slapped her on the shoulder gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha slowly losing steam with these, but thankfully I've almost hit the 'two or more per variant' I was aiming for which will let me focus on other things for the rest of July and maybe a bit into August. Also I think Abigail would actually be fairly good with kids given the chance, so yeah.


	70. Mimi's Salon (Chocolate Chip)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew felt more than a bit nervous about getting his hair styled, but thankfully Tommy's there to make things go smoothly.
> 
> 2pAme1pCan
> 
> Posted 25 July 2015

Matthew bit his lip, really wishing he was female right now so he wouldn't feel quite so embarrassed about what he was going to do. He'd exhausted his other options, though, so this was really the only path he could take to get what he'd wanted for quite a while…

He sighed, realizing loitering outside would draw more weird looks than just sucking it up and going in, especially since he'd already done his research and knew he probably wouldn't need to come back in for months if he was careful afterwards. Taking another breath, he stepped inside the salon, ducking his head in embarrassment when the woman at the counter looked up from her magazine.

"Hello and welcome to Mimi's Salon, what can we help you with today?"

"I, ah," Matthew put on what he hoped was a friendly smile. "I'd like to get my hair done?"

If she thought the request was odd, she didn't show it, thankfully. "Just a trim, or do you want to styled?"

"Um, I'd like to get it colored, I guess? And trimmed, please."

She nodded in understanding. "Anything else? Manicure, pedicure, waxing?"

The Canadian shook his head. "No thank you, just my hair."

"Right, there should be someone available in about ten minutes if you're alright with waiting."

"That's fine." Sitting down gingerly in one of the offered seats to the side, he side eyed the numerous beauty and gossip rags before deciding it'd be better to just wait.

(Really, were there really this many different companies all running the same thing, or did the issues just get dumped in the same spot without ever being removed? Perhaps they actually bred at night while no one was looking? It'd make so much more sense than knowing people actually created and printed those things.)

Just under fifteen minutes later, Matthew was startled out of his light doze by a tap on his shoulder, blinking away the cobwebs as he looked up to the guy who'd woken him up.

"You wanted to get your hair done?"

The blond nodded, not wanting to speak when he was afraid he'd blurt out something embarrassing to the guy who was, quite honestly,  _really freaking hot_. The brunet laughed, waiting for Matthew to get up before leading him to the back and settling him into the low back chair.

"So, what sorta dye job were you looking for?" The stylist asked, heading over to the shelves that apparently held all the various dyes. "Full head, just the tips, stripes?"

Matthew would have agreed to any of those so long as it meant he could come back to get it refreshed or change it up. However, he had come in with a plan and now felt only marginally less embarrassed about it. "Actually, I was sort of hoping for one of those two toned deals, since I saw some pics of others with it and thought it looked neat…"

"Ah, layered? I can do that. You looking for any colors specifically?"

"No, I'm fine with whatever. I don't think I want anything too crazy, though…"

The stylist turned back to him, and for a second he thought he was being judged for not having planned out everything, but it turned out he was just trying to examine Matthew's hair as it was now, even walking back over just to lift a few strands and rub them between his fingers.

"I think I know what'll work for you. You alright with orange?"

"...orange?" Matthew imagined himself with hair colored remarkably similar to the jumpsuit Naruto wore (not that he watched that show, mind you!), and something must have shown in his expression because the other man laughed.

"It's a dull orange, almost a dark blond really. I promise it'll look good once it's set."

Well, the guy was trained for this, so Matthew had to assume he knew what he was talking about. At least it'd make his hair stand out anyways. "Alright, I'll go with that then."

The brunet grinned, and Matthew turned away sharply with a flush as the stylist went back to the shelves again to pick out the right bottles, returning again with the bottles mere moments later, as well as a hairbrush. Conversation was kept to a minimum, which helped relax him as the stylist went to work clipping up hair and trimming off the split ends.

In fact, it was relaxing enough that the rest of the process, from the layering to the dye to the hair washing all sort of blurred, leaving him blinking at the end once he realized that his hair was carefully getting dried out.

"You zone out easily, don't you?" The stylist asked, more amused than anything, and Matthew flushed again, really wishing he didn't have that habit. "This look alright to you?"

Matthew turned back to the big mirror, pushing his hair back and tilting and realizing… it actually looked pretty good. Huh. Who knew orange actually worked with his hair?

(Thank goodness he hadn't tried to experiment with dyes in the bathroom like his brother - some of those colors had been insane, and unlike Alfred he didn't have the charisma to pull it off anyways.)

The stylist grinned. "Glad you like it. Anything else you need, or are you good?"

' _Your number,'_  floated to the top of his mind, but he knew that probably wouldn't end well, so instead he said, "Your number?"

Then blinked, realized what happened, and hid his face in his hands in absolute embarrassment, because god dammit brain you're supposed to stop this sort of thing from happening!

The stylist laughed, patting him on the shoulder before grabbing the broom to start sweeping away some of the trimmed hair. "Usually I like to know someone's name before I accept a date offer."

"I'm so sorry," Matthew apologized weakly, still way too embarassed to move. "I didn't mean to say that at all."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," He replied. "I don't think I've had a guy as cute as you so hilariously fail to flirt with me in a long time, so as long as I get a name I'll consider offering my number back."

"...Matthew." He offered finally, wondering if he could dig his hole any deeper.

"Matthew," The stylist tried out. "Nice to meet you. My name's Tommy."

(...well, at least he got a name and number out of it, even if he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to use it without remembering how badly he'd fumbled things back in there.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a silly little thing with Tommy working at a salon and Matt being instantly infatuated with him. And hey, I'm almost to two drabbles per variant, so that's fun!


	71. Getting Away For A While (Red Velvet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting away for a while is always nice.
> 
> 1pCan2pCan
> 
> Posted July 26 2015

"It's pretty nice up here, right?"

Alex turned away from the window, outside of which sprawled an almost endless plain of snow broken up by the occasional tree. "It's quiet."

Matthew smiled, walking over from the doorway to wrap his arms around his boyfriend from behind. "It is that. I like it - there aren't as many places like it back in the city."

Alex had never really been outside a city before, and Matthew's uncle had a cabin up north that he was willing to lend for a week or two since no one else was using it. Ultimately, it was the perfect getaway for both of them, especially since it was an excellent way to get away from the various little interruptions in life.

"No kidding," Alex mumbled, resting his hands over Matthew's. "Still feels a bit weird to look out and not see any other buildings."

"You'll get used to it, I promise." Matthew hummed thoughtfully. "Do you want some hot chocolate? We could drink it out on the porch."

"Sounds good."

Matthew gave one last squeeze before pulling away, offering Alex a warm smile before disappearing back into the kitchen and leaving Alex alone to think. He'd been a bit leery of coming all the way out here at first - what with them being nearly an hour from the nearest town, there was always a chance of something going wrong and leaving them stranded or worse.

On the other… he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before opening them again. On the other, there was practically no way for anyone to drop in on them unexpectedly and interrupt a date or a quiet evening in, and the only phone in the house was a landline only Matthew's brother knew the number to.

They'd be fine, he supposed - they were only gonna be there for ten days, and they'd packed for a month just in case they got snowed in for a bit.

With that thought in mind he turned away from the window again, making his way over to the kitchen as well to see if he could help out a bit. There was no sense in making his boyfriend do all the work, after all.

(And if later, he just so happened to dump some of the ever prevalent snow in his boyfriend's lap, well, he did start it with that ice cube trick earlier.)


	72. Empathic Projection (Butter Pecan)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie hates her powers and wishes she didn't have them, but someone helps her see otherwise...
> 
> 1pAme2pNyoCan (sorta), Marvel AU
> 
> 'Posted' July 28 2015

Marie curled up just a bit more tightly into her ball, sniffling miserably as she tried to cling to warmth in the evening autumn chill. She hadn't grabbed a jacket on her way out the door, but then again, did a freak like her really deserve it?

(She hadn't meant to have everyone start fighting, but she'd been so upset and her parents wouldn't stop lying about being unhappy and-

-no, normal children didn't feel other people's emotions. Normal children didn't twist those emotions either, but she had done both, and now they'd never want her back-)

"Hey there, you alright?"

She sniffed and blinked away some tears, looking up at the guy looking down at her, surprise and sympathy washing off of him. He had no idea what she'd done or what sort of monster she was, and the thought made her angry enough to make her wish he would just go away and leave her alone-

Marie jolted back when he frowned and blinked several times, realizing she'd just done it again and really what sort of person was she if she couldn't even stop herself from-

"That's quite a power you have there," He commented after shaking his head, somehow still feeling nothing more towards her than understanding and compassion. "I don't think I've heard of projective empathy before…"

She had no idea what that meant, but slouched back into her cold seat on the ground. "I don't want it," She mumbled into her knees. "I made my parents fight cause I was angry and now they're gonna hate me forever too cause I'm a freak and I hurt them."

"Do you feel bad about what you did?" He asked softly, crouching down so he was balanced on his toes.

"Uhuh," Marie wiped away at some of her tears, blocking her view of him temporarily even if it didn't stop her feeling his presence in front of her.

"Then I don't see how they can hate you; they're your family, aren't they?"

She frowned. "I guess, but the news-"

"-is full of loudmouthed jerks who don't like people who are different from them." He cut her off, feeling very sad and upset, though not at her, she realized after a moment. "Do you think your parents are like them?"

"...no…"

"Then you don't have any reason to be afraid," He promised, offering her a hand and a smile. "Here, I'll walk you home if you like."

She looked back up at him, eventually and reluctantly uncurling herself and placing her hand in his, feeling the warmth both from his emotions and his hand as he helped her up to her feet.

"Where do you live?" He asked her.

"Frederick Street," She replied, having had to memorize the name by her parents just in case she got lost.

He nodded, tilting his head back before he snapped his fingers and nodded. "I think I know where that is - it's three streets down from here, right?"

She bit her lip and nodded, recalling that to be how far she'd run before she'd run out of breath and chosen to curl up under a nearby tree. As he started down the path, walking slowly enough so that she didn't have to run to keep up, she found herself glad that at least one person didn't think she was terrible for what she'd done. Though there was something about him that was very odd…

(...maybe he was like her?)

She didn't want to ask, though, leaving their walk in silence until they reached her home street, familiar enough that she could then lead the way down to her own small home. The lights were all on, and as she got close she could feel the scared and sad feelings wafting from the house, tearing her up again as she realized they might have actually missed her after all.

And then he was knocking on the door, and before she realized it she was inside and wrapped in the arms of her extremely thankful and overjoyed parents, with her cousin hovering nearby, and then her rescuer had taken her father to the side and spoken quietly with him before writing down something on the notepad in the hall.

He then turned back to her, smiled and nodded his head, and just like that walked out of his life as suddenly as he had entered it.

(Later, her parents would sit down with her and explain how there was this school she could go to if she wanted, where she would learn to control her powers from people just like herself, although it was far away so they wouldn't be able to see each other for a year.

She accepted eventually, but only because she had a feeling that it was her rescuer's idea, and even if she didn't know who he was she had a strong feeling she could trust him.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, it's not super shippy, but it's an interesting prompt that I might not mind making into a short story someday now that I'm not so frustrated with the 'verse anymore. ...it probably won't be shippy there either, actually, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun. Power chosen at random from a superpower wiki.


	73. Lending A Hand (Red Velvet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew really does love Alex, but his boyfriend needs to spend less time with Alfred...
> 
> 1pCan2pCan
> 
> Posted July 29 2015

Matthew loved Alex, really he did. They wouldn't have started dating if he didn't, and despite his early reservations he knew Alex loved him as well. There was even an engagement ring in the closet, prepared for their two year anniversary, and he had a gut feeling his boyfriend was planning something similar, which was sure to be entertaining if nothing else.

(It was just the sort of thing that'd happen in bad romance stories, and Matthew had a heavy weakness for those, so sue him.)

They'd met after Alex had returned from overseas, his arm a testament to what he'd given up in the course of his service, though he was mostly used to using it at this point. He'd even made a habit out of pranking people with it, wearing a glove to hide the fake joints and offering a handshake only to watch people freak out when his whole forearm detached instead.

Matthew was well used to the quirk by now, and held a hand over his mouth whenever they met someone new so that he didn't give it away too soon, thankfully that that prank was no longer applicable to him. To be honest, he really didn't stop and think about it much these days, because it was normal for him, and one didn't usually think about normal things.

In hindsight, maybe he shouldn't have let his boyfriend watch a Disney movie marathon with his brother, because clearly Alfred was a corrupting influence that needed to be stopped before it was too late. But he hadn't stopped it, and now he was going to pay the price by uttering a few harmless, enabling words.

"Can you give me a hand with the lights, please?"

Focused as he was on stringing up the Halloween lights, he completely failed to miss the way his boyfriend paused at those words, nor the grin that grew across his face as he turned to the man facing away from him. "Sure, just gimme a sec."

"The fake skeleton Alfred bought for us last year is in the bin; can you hand that up to me?"

"Alright," Alex replied casually, walking over while he undid the strap holding his fake right arm in place before rummaging through the bin convincingly for a second, then handing up the arm to his boyfriend with an amused grin.

Matthew took it absentmindedly, just starting to put it in place before he realized it wasn't what he'd requested. Sighing deeply, he turned to his boyfriend (now wearing a full shiteating grin) and leveled a flat look at him.

"You're making dinner for the next week, just so you know."

Alex laughed, offering up the actual fake skeleton in exchange for his arm back. "Definitely worth it, though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, these last two updates were just because I wanted to make my tracking sheet (the one I use to keep track of how many of each variant I've written) look even, though I think I need two more 1p2pCan drabbles to do that tbh... but that's for another time.


	74. Protector (Peanut Butter Swirl)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex would protect his prince from anything, even himself. Alfred thinks he's an idiot.
> 
> 1pAme2pCan, fantasy AU
> 
> posted Aug 20 2015

Alfred Kirkland, heir to the throne of Erlande, was not pleased.

Not because of anything so minor as poor entertainment or food, for those were as good as always. Nor were his lessons any more tedious than usual - in fact, his sword lessons had recently started in include fighting from horseback, which he was enjoying more for the outings than the combat.

No, what plagued the young prince this evening was the knowledge that, for the seventh night in a row, he had not seen hide nor hair of his favored knight since the man had returned from his latest campaign to the east, something which absolutely baffled him. Alex had always taken care to check in with him after he'd given the King his report, regaling his tales of the far reaches of the realm while Alfred dutifully rewarded him as was only proper for a favored knight.

Only that hadn't happened yet, and Alfred was more than a bit frustrated at this point.

For some reason Alex was actively avoiding him, even going so far as to bow out of the events Alfred couldn't escape. A totally unfair move in Alfred's eyes, one that demanded he step up and demand the knight's private attendance.

...if only it were that easy. The knights were all under his father's command, not his, and so the men only had to follow his orders if they wanted to or if the King commanded it, and since his father probably would not approve of his son's plans for the knight in question…

What could he do, though? He couldn't catch Alex after an event we wasn't going to, and there was no way he'd respond to a summons, so what did that leave him?

Oh. Well.

Alfred hummed in thought, glancing out the window to see if it was about the right time, and grinned.

~0~0~

Alex sighed, sinking into the bath drawn for him by one of the servants. He resisted the urge again to rub at his face, not wanting to accidentally reopen the still tender wounds there.

It was just his luck that the otherwise routine sweep of the eastern border had turned up a small band of brigands who hadn't taken kindly to the intrusion, and worse yet proven mildly competent. It was only luck that Alex had merely gotten a scar instead of losing his eye or his life in the battle, but it was still a reminder that he wasn't good enough to be Alfred's protector if he could be caught off guard so easily by a half-trained thief.

And if he wasn't good enough to protect Alfred…

He closed his eyes and exhaled again, hearing the door open and close quietly. He knew the prince wouldn't be happy with him, but it was for his safety, because he deserved the best, and right now, that simply wasn't him. Hopefully he would understand…

...well, if Alex ever worked up the nerve to explain. His scar twinged as he frowned. Soon, perhaps.

When the servant's hands started the careful work of cleaning off his back, he closed his eyes, deciding to let it lie for now. After all, he had time until a confrontation was forced, probably when the fall equinox came around…

"You know, I never took you for the vain type," The person currently rubbing his shoulders commented idly, the voice snapping his eyes open as he went absolutely rigid.

"My lord-"

"Or maybe you think me vain enough to spurn you for your new features?" Alfred added idly, taking a nearby bucket and dipping it in the water before dumping it over the knight's head, leaving Alex sputtering as he finally turned to stare at the noble in servant's clothing.

"How did you-"

"Erzsebet offered to let me take her place, and promised to cover for me if necessary. Which means it's just the two of us for the next twenty minutes."

Alex swallowed. This was not something he'd expected Alfred to do, and now he was paying for it. Not to mention the prince looked so disappointed… "I don't think you should be here."

Alfred huffed. "I go to all the effort to get some time alone with you, after not seeing you for an entire week following your return, and you're turning me away?"

The prince leaned forward, pressing his hands to Alex's chest while keeping eye contact. "Are you tired of me?"

The knight's jaw dropped. "Of course not, but-"

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

Alex closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't protect you."

Alfred blinked. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm your protector," Alex stressed, frowning. "And look at me now - I'm lucky I survived that ambush. What if next time it's an assassin? I won't risk your life by giving you anything less than the best-"

"Which has always been and still is you," Alfred interrupted, huffing in amusement. "You are the most loyal and trustworthy person I know, and I always rest comforted when you're here, watching over me and my father. All your scars tell me is that you survived to learn from your mistakes, so that next time you'll be even better prepared to defend me should the time come."

"My lord-"

"You are my knight, Alex," Alfred replied flatly, though his eyes glistened a bit suspiciously in the evening light. "You are nothing but perfect in my eyes, even if you refuse to see it for yourself, so let me prove it to you."

"Okay," The knight replied, closing his eyes as Alfred's hands moved up to cup his face. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't get put down too easily, and I know I cut it off a bit abruptly, but I'm still really burnt out from July and with school just starting up again, I can't really be motivated to care enough. This is a fic to 'balance' my variant numbers against the gift fic I'm writing this month, so yeh. Enjoy.


	75. School Days (Chocolate Chip)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matthew's first day of kindergarten is certainly off to an interesting start...
> 
> 2pAme1pCan, kiddie AU
> 
> Posted Aug 31 2015

Matthew bit his lip, lingering towards the side of the playground while he watched the other kids. His polar bear, Kuma, rested in his arms, the soft white fabric enough to give some comfort against the scary unknown of all these strangers.

He'd promised his big brother Alfie he'd be good on his first day of kindergarten, and to make some friends, but it was hard when most of the kids already seemed to be friends with each other. Maybe if he was braver, like the heroes in Al's comics, he could walk up to them anyways, but he wasn't, so remained in the corner he did, watching like the lonely little ghost he felt like.

Sighing, Matthew held up his bear, looking it in the eye while asking, "What should I do, Mr. Kuma?"

The bear, obviously, didn't reply, but he could imagine its small squeaky voice asking him, "Who are you?"

He smiled, knowing how silly and forgetful his oldest friend always was. "I'm Matthew, silly."

"Oh," The bear would reply, brows furrowing before nodding. "Food?"

Matthew, a longtime viewer of Animal Planet thanks to his big brother - " _Way more educational than those kid shows, not to mention cooler!"_  - had fallen in love with the Arctic related documentaries, especially those with polar bears in them, and so knew just what he meant. "Okay, let's go hunting!"

Hunting, in this case, being a simple procedure of searching for an 'ice hole' on the far end of the grounds, then waiting by it for a seal to pop up. He set Kuma down nearby while he waited, knowing he needed both hands to catch the seal when it came up. Of course, he didn't have to wait too long, the imaginary seal popping up to breath just as Matthew leapt for it, cheerfully dragging it up and out before deciding to report the good news.

"There's enough here for both of us, Kuma! ...Kuma?"

Turning to where his friend had been, he quickly realized they weren't alone anymore, and paled as he looked up at the older kids who had taken his bear hostage.

"What's a little kid like you doing in our part of the playground?" One of them asked, face curled into a dismissive sneer.

"I- I'm sorry, I was just playing," Matthew wavered between his fear of getting in trouble with his fear for his bear. "Can I have Kuma back, please?"

"Hmm," The boy holding the bear pondered before grinning viciously. "Nah. You left it where anyone could take it, so clearly the next person who finds it gets to keep it."

"He's mine," The younger boy protested, now desperately wishing he'd thought to stay closer to where the teachers were; as things were, he couldn't even see one from here, and who knows what would happen to Kuma if he ran for one now? "Give him back!"

The group simply laughed, seemingly unmoved by his tearful demand. Oh, how he wished he could turn into big scary polar bear and make them all go away!

"Hey, leave him alone!" Matthew blinked away tears as he looked up, seeing a new kid had run up while they were all distracted.

"Oh yeah?" The third kid challenged back. "Says who?"

"Says me," The newcomer replied, standing tall despite being shorter than all three of them. He was still older than Matthew, though, which meant he was probably faster too, so maybe he could get an adult in time.

All three laughed again, seeming to find the idea ludicrous…

Until the boy, to Matthew's surprise, swung his fist at the boy, sending him reeling while clutching his nose.

"Hey!" The first boy shouted, moving to retaliate alongside his friend before the younger boy kicked at his leg and left him howling. The last boy managed to catch the newcomer, pulling him into a chokehold while the younger boy jabbed at him with his elbow.

Matthew watched this all wide eyed, unable to tear himself away to run for help now that they were all distracted. Of course, such action wasn't necessary in the first place, as the shouting as drawn the attention of a teacher who was now running over to break up the commotion.

"I cannot believe - on the first day of school -" The man sighed, ushering them all towards the offices, Matthew trailing behind quietly while shooting glances at the boy who had defended him.

During one of the glances he glanced back, offering a grin even though he was hurt. "Hey, this doll is yours, right?"

And he offered over the white bear, a bit dusty but no worse for wear. Gasping, Matthew grabbed it and held it close, pressing his face into the soft fur to reassure himself Kuma was okay before peeking up with a big grin. "Thank you!"

"No problem," The boy replied. "Those guys have been picking on younger kids since I was your age, 'nd my ma said not to take that from big bullies. They shouldn't bug you again, but if they do, lemme know and I'll show 'em a thing or two. What's your name, by the way?"

"Matthew," The smaller boy replied.

"I'm Tommy," The older offered in return. "Nice to meet ya."

Matthew just nodded, thinking that maybe things would be alright here after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally able to post my organic maple summer exchange gift, so yay. Not my best work, but eh, it's done, I can move on with my life. Not gonna be updating this fic again for a while probably; want to focus on my main fic again as well as the other collections.


	76. Rocky Road: Fun With Piercings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail was not looking forward to another semester of college, but her roommate Marie might just make it a bit more interesting...
> 
> 2pNyoAme2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted Feb. 3 2016

Summer break was a time of rejuvenation and change - doubly so for those poor college students who had to deal with nerve wracking finals. Abigail, being among their lofty number, had hopped into her car the second she'd escaped her chemistry final and booked it down south in order to catch some sunshine and discretely ogle the hot babes (and guys) that were all but stripped thanks to the southern heat.

(Only discretely, though, because if she did anything else her roommate would find out, no matter that she was in Nova Scotia visiting family or something. Abby had yet to find the Canadian's widespread sources, despite keeping an eye out for shady guys in trench coats hiding in alleys.

...she wasn't paranoid, shut up.)

Sadly, such things must come to an end, and as such she found herself back in Vermont for another semester, tossing her stuff carelessly over her bed and indulging in some fresh take-out Chinese before collapsing into bed. Though she arrived first, her roommate had not been far behind, seeing as the morning was greeted with a second half-emptied luggage bag and the sound of cereal boxes being rattled.

"Mornin' hot stuff," Abigail yawned, not even bothering to throw on more than an oversized shirt and her underwear as she flopped down into the other seat at the kitchen table.

"Morning," Marie replied without glancing up from her bowl, pulling away the box of Lucky Charms before the other woman could grab it.

"Mean," The dark haired woman groaned, grabbing the milk and frosted flakes and pouring a generous amount of both into her own bowl. "How was the family?"

"Same as always," The Canadian replied. "Alex's practice is going well, Alfred and Matthew made a mess of their birthday party, and the European side of the family almost got arrested for public indecency again."

"Sounds fun. I got tons of tanning time in, caught up on a few series, and finally figured out that fucking pot pie recipe Tommy was bragging on about. Might try and make it before classes get going or somethin'."

"Sounds nice," Marie flashed her roommate a grin, drawing Abigail's attention for long enough to catch her next words as well. "Hope it's as good as his."

The American woman blinked, only realizing after a bit that the comment had been directed at her. "Huh?"

"Still asleep there?" The Canadian laughed quietly. "I said I'm hoping it'll be as good as his."

"Of course it will be," Abby protested, gaze sinking back down to the other's mouth before deliberately refocusing upwards. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"My roommate?" Marie replied far too innocently, taking another bite of cereal at the other's mock offended expression.

"Ass," The American shot back, pausing again when she heard the light scrape of metal on something as the other woman slowly pulled the spoon from her mouth.

"Seriously, you alright?" The Canadian asked, unconsciously licking at her thumb just enough to show off the new decoration on her tongue. "Do I have something on my face?"

"You- you-" Abigail choked out, trying desperately not to flush at how much hotter the dumb little gesture had become with that ball-headed tongue ring. "When did you get a piercing?"

"Like I said, Alex 's been doing well. Figured I might as well get something while I was visiting, recommended it to me. Took a while to get used to talking with the thing in my mouth, but it's not too bad overall."

The Native American woman could only keep staring, because there was absolutely zero way her roommate could have known she had a secret thing for that sort of thing, she'd only ever told-

Tommy, that _fucker_. She was going to strangle him the second she saw his punk ass face-

"Problem?" Marie asked, grin having grown to about as shit eating as the Canadian ever got.

"Only a shitton," Abigail shot back, glowering. "But you're definitely at the top right now."

"Oh, good, I was hoping to start the semester off right. Maybe when I get back from the store I'll even let you see my new ring collection."

With that the Canadian stood and breezed her way around the table, planting a very quick and deliberate kiss on her roommate's cheek before grabbing her keys, the grocery bags, and her purse before waving and heading out the door.

Abigail could only stare after, internally swearing up a storm at how everyone in her life was conspiring against her.

(She was really looking forward to seeing said ring collection, however.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And hey look more shippy stuff! I'm actually working on my current projects again instead of all these new shiny things, hoorah! But yeah I've decided that I'm probably gonna close shop on this thing after I hit about five drabbles for each variant, which will still be a while! But it's also keeping me more than a bit sane and lets me finish off the list of ideas for drabbles slowly get finished off without me needing to get more.
> 
> Once I'm actually done with all of said drabbles, I might rearrange them so that the ships are in 'order', making it a bit easier to navigate. Or it doesn't really matter either way because who even reads these anymore.


	77. Three Beaus, Same Indulgence (Multiple)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Tommy's got a lot going for him, at least in these cases.
> 
> 2pAme2pNyoAme, 2pAme2pCan, 2pAme2pNyoCan
> 
> Posted June 6 2016

"Oh Tooooommy!"

The man in question exhaled slowly before turning his head to reply. "Yes, Abigail?"

The woman in question was beaming widely as she walked up. "Could you do me a teensy favor maybe? If you aren't busy, of course."

Tommy resisted the urge to glower at her, knowing she was egging him on for entertainment. Instead he raised a brow, waving a hand vaguely at the paperwork he'd been reading through for her, on her instructions less than an hour ago. "I'm not doing anything special. Those ones on the left need your reply, by the way."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get to those later," Abigail waved off herself, sitting herself on the side of the desk. "So there's this new place just down the street a few blocks that's supposed to be pretty good, but I don't have the time to go all the way there and get myself and the others something, so could you maybe go and get some lunch there for us?"

Like he could actually refuse. He sighed and asked, "Which place, and how many?"

"Oh, it's a dim sum place, can't remember the name, but you can't miss it. Also, try to get enough for maybe around twelve or so people? Oh, and make sure none of it has peanut, Emily's gonna be by."

Tommy pushed himself up from his chair, wondering what sort of party was being thrown together on a whim this time, before deciding that asking would only invite extra tasks. "Anything else you want me to pick up on the way back?"

"Oh, some of those chocolates from that cute little bakery, if you could. You are such a dear!" She pushed herself to her feet, giving him a wink before she left as swiftly as she appeared.

Tommy finally gave in to the desire to groan, grabbing his jacket before making his way out of his office and down the hall. Working for Abigail was an experience he wouldn't wish on most people, and sometimes he really, really regretted not just accepting the transfer over to his friend's business back when it'd first been offered.

Even if the pay would have been less for a while, at least Alex wouldn't have made his week painful enough to encourage an early Friday checkout. And maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have left the coffee shop run by the overly chipper blond just to run into the woman whose dress was worth more than his former annual salary.

But then again, maybe Abigail Sutters, walkway queen and fashion star, would have managed to latch her claws into him anyways.

(At the least, she didn't make him get her coffee.)

~0~0~0~0~0~

If any of the other soldiers had bothered to do more than glance in their direction, they probably would have thought the two men were taking advantage of the lull in combat to get in some shut-eye. The darker haired man kept watch, a cigarette between his fingers as he blew wispy smoke clouds into the evening air.

His blond companion, eyes closed and body slumped against the wall, was as grimy as the first man, and seemed completely oblivious to the shouts of people and gunfire that started up occasional, though they trailed off as the sun sank further towards the horizon. If one were to get close enough to actually look at him, they would quickly realize he was putting good to the phrase 'sleep like the dead'.

Tommy wasn't too bothered by his neighbor's current condition, having had to haul him out in such a state several times since this war had started. It wasn't glamorous to be on bodysitting duty while the Canadian's body mended itself, but it gave him an excuse to smoke without the other man complaining when he woke up.

One of the only upsides to having been out here fighting for close on to nine months was that they were soon due to be brought back home to rest and recuperate properly. A real bath and food was sounding amazing at this point, not to mention the chance to sleep for a week straight in his own bed was probably going to be one of his first priorities after the first two conditions were met.

The only potential downside would be Alex deciding he couldn't be bothered to do the same at his own house, instead imposing on the American for however long it took to convince him to get his ass back north.

A shuddering breath drew his attention from his thoughts, the man next to him scowling as his eyes forced themselves open slowly. Without missing a beat Tommy grabbed his water canteen, passing it over to Alex; the blond grabbed it wordlessly and pulled the cap off, draining a good third of the container before recapping it and handing it back.

"Shit, that Italian's a good shot," The Canadian groaned, closing his eyes again as he pushed himself away from the wall with a grimace. "Didn't even see him."

"There's a reason Europe tiptoes around him, ya know," Tommy replied casually, offering over the cigarette.

Alex made a face, but grabbed the cigarette and took a drag, shoulders relaxing minutely as he exhaled smoke. "Tastes like shit. Can't believe you still smoke these."

"Eh, they're cheap, and they taste better than death does."

The Canadian snorted but didn't disagree, taking another drag before handing the cigarette back.

The sunset from their resting spot was gorgeous. Neither felt the need to ruin the mood with idle chatter.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Tommy had just finished going through his when he finally noticed the person ducked down in the back of the theater. They didn't look like any of the usual friends or family who sometimes dropped in at the end of the session to pick someone up, and in fact they didn't seem to be doing much waiting at all.

"Hey, any of you know that gal back there?" He called back to the others while they were taking a break between goes, drawing a few of the girls who'd been kicking back on one of the props.

"Nope, don't know 'em," Bella replied after a moment, glancing over to her friend.

"I think she was in one of my art classes last semester," Sue replied hesitantly, briefly biting her lip. "She didn't really speak up much, so I don't know her all that well. I think her name's Maria?"

"Wait, you mean the daughter of the Advanced French courses, right? Marie?" The first girl replied, frowning thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think I remembered you mentioning her - didn't think she was much for dancing, though."

"Huh," Tommy replied idly to the banter, eyes still on the young woman sitting on her own. "I'm gonna go chat her up a bit, then."

"Just don't try and scare her off too quickly," Bella snorted, turning back with Sue to rejoin the group preparing for the last part of practice for the day.

"Yeah, fuck you too," He replied easily, carefully hopping off the stage before making his way up the steps to where the mysterious Marie was engrossed in… a sketchbook. Huh.

Well, she still hadn't noticed him despite the fact that he hadn't tried to hide his approach, so he did the first thing that popped into mind. "Hey, spyin' on anyone in particular or just browsing the goods?"

She jumped in her seat, gaze flickering to him as she flushed in embarrassment. "Jesus christ, warn me next time, will ya?"

Tommy just raised a brow, leaning against the seat across the aisle from her.

She sighed and shook her head, closing her sketchbook. "It started raining, and this was the closest place to wait it out since it's an hour between classes. Saw what you guys were doing, and figured it wouldn't hurt to get in some life sketching. 'S more interesting than squirrels and birds, anyways."

"Gee, thanks," He replied dryly. "But there's no issue with people watching, since folks have family and stuff who like to drop in. Just no video or cameras, since we wanna keep most of the stuff under wraps for a bit longer."

Marie snorted in reply. "Like I have anyone to share with, but sure, I'll remember that. What's your name?"

"Tommy Smith."

"Ah. You dance good."

He blinked, having not expected that. "Ah, thanks?"

"I'm Marie Delacroix, by the way," She introduced herself as she stuck her book into her bag, standing up. "I need to get going, but maybe I'll catch you around."

"Yeah, sure."

He couldn't help but wonder whether she would be back, and found himself looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, a few short 2pAme / 2p partner drabbles cause I don't wanna post things this short on their own and I had all three in a row, so, like, sort of theme! Slowly but surely I'm working through my backlog of things to write, and one day I'll even be able to close this without feeling so guilty about it!


End file.
